


Trial by Fire

by InspectorBoxer



Series: Trial by Fire [1]
Category: Nikki & Nora
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-01
Updated: 2008-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-19 12:24:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 72,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InspectorBoxer/pseuds/InspectorBoxer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Nikki & Nora is the creative property of Nancylee Myatt. No infringement intended. Since all we ever got with these characters was the pilot, I decided to imagine what happened when they first met...</p><p>Thanks to bcharmer23 for the beta!</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Nikki & Nora is the creative property of Nancylee Myatt. No infringement intended. Since all we ever got with these characters was the pilot, I decided to imagine what happened when they first met...
> 
> Thanks to bcharmer23 for the beta!

The stench hit her first.

Detective Nora Delaney winced then put her left hand to her nose and mouth. She stepped around the corner, out of the long, wood-paneled hallway, and into a posh master bedroom. She winced again when she saw the arching streak of blood spatter across the khaki green wall before her. It was like someone had taken a paint brush, drawn their arm back and slung the now dark brown substance across the surface.

Sneakers sinking into the plush beige carpet, Nora approached the crime scene. Her green eyes dropped to the decomposing figure in the bed. Tied to the bedposts with white rope now stained rust with blood, Mrs. Delana Archer was splayed out naked in gruesome form. Her red hair was her only visible identifying trait, her face now obscenely bloated and misshapen. Her bowels had obviously evacuated at death, perhaps before in fright, and the scent added to the already pungent and gag-worthy air in the still room.

Behind her in the hall Nora could hear other cops coming up the winding staircase. She’d been close by when the call came in and was nearly the first to arrive lagging only behind the reporting patrol officers. Her former partner’s voice carried to her as she forced herself to cross closer to the body, taking in the details. Another voice, one lighter and feminine, was engaging Dan in conversation as they approached. Nora was curious about the source sure she’d never heard the woman before. Reluctantly she knelt next to the body and studied the knots binding Archer’s left hand to the bedpost.

Dan came around the corner then drew back when the full smell of the room hit him like a truck. “Jesus.”

Nora kept her hand over her mouth and nose as she turned to look at him. “Kind of early for you, isn’t it?” Dan usually didn’t come on shift until ten and it was only seven thirty. He was dressed in gray slacks, a pale blue shirt and tie and looked as handsome as always.

Dan covered his own mouth and nose with a handkerchief before taking in Nora’s form fitting pink sweatpants, tennis shoes, and white tank top with the NOPD logo blazened across the front. Her shoulder length blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. “Did you just roll out of bed?”

The detective glanced ruefully at her own attire. “I was just getting to the gym.”

Dan nodded and diverted his eyes. Despite their surroundings he still felt something in the pit of his gut at seeing Nora’s bare belly. The woman was just too damn good looking for her own good.

Nora realized she was making him uncomfortable and grinned behind her hand. Then the smile fell away when a tall, dark headed woman stepped in next to her former partner.

“Whew,” the stranger spoke as her small nose wrinkled in disgust. “I could understand decomp like this if it were August but it’s late October.”

Unconsciously Nora got to her feet.

“Nora Delaney? Nikki Beaumont. Nikki? Nora.” Dan introduced the two. “Your new partner.”

Both women exchanged startled glances. Nora had known a new partner was coming ever since Dan had been promoted to captain, but she never in a million years would have expected a woman.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, either.

Nikki offered her a tiny wave from the doorway. “I can assure you I’ll never forget the first time we met.”

Nora snorted, faintly surprised by the humor but it did what it was intended to – break the ice. “We couldn’t have done this at the station?” She asked Dan.

“That was the plan until the call came in.” Dan edged back toward the hall. “You ladies enjoy. I’ve got a meeting with the brass in ten minutes.” He pointed at Nora. “Be nice.” Then he was gone.

The two stared at each other for a beat.

“Do you not normally play nice, detective?” Nikki asked easily.

Nora’s eyes skimmed over the expensive black leather boots, up long jean-clad legs, a wine-red figure-hugging shirt and finally came to a stop at the warm brown eyes regarding her with faint amusement. “Do you normally dress like a fashion plate for a crime scene?”

“Am I?” Nikki asked innocently. She glanced down at herself then back up at Nora, her eyes lingering on the expanse of visible skin. “Do you always dress like you’re ready for bed?”

Heat infused Nora’s cheeks like someone had lit them on fire. She tugged at the hem of her shirt self-consciously. “I was headed for the gym,” she said a little defensively.

“I was trying to make a good first impression,” Nikki answered. She lifted her eyes to meet Nora’s jade gaze.

The other detective glanced around the room. “Well, this little meeting has certainly left an impression.”

Nikki nodded once before entering the room. She approached the bed, passing Nora as she did so. The shorter woman stepped aside but didn’t go far. Nikki stared down at the body before her gaze went to the bound wrists and feet. “Was she raped?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Nora answered. She finally dropped her hand, unfortunately getting used to the smell. “We’re still waiting on the CSIs and the coroner.”

“I’ve met her.”

Nora’s eyes sharpened on her. “The victim?”

“Delana Archer. She serves on the board for Progressive House with my daddy.”

Daddy? Nora’s eyebrows elevated. “Who’s your daddy?”

Nikki gave her a teasing look over her shoulder and Nora blushed again when she realized what she’d said. She was going to have to watch her step around this woman.

“Arthur Beaumont.”

Nora opened her mouth to reply but she could only stare as Nikki continued her perusal of the body. Arthur Beaumont was a city councilman and one of New Orleans most rich and famous. What the hell was his daughter doing playing cop? And what in the hell was she supposed to do with a partner who had to have more money than sense if she wore Prada boots to a bloody crime scene? Nora suddenly suspected that Dan was trying to get away from more than just the smell.

Bastard.

And Dan knew how well she got along with Nikki’s father. He’d witnessed more than one run-in between them first hand.

Nora swallowed. She was brimming with questions but she set them aside to focus on the job. “What was she like?”

Nikki glanced up at her from the other side of the bed. “Quiet. Really shy. Very skittish. I remember someone tapped her on the shoulder at a function once and she damn near screamed.” She frowned as she looked down at the remains. “But I think she was a good person. She certainly didn’t deserve this.”

“No one deserves this,” Nora added. “Will this be a problem for you?”

The brunette shook her head. “No. We only met on a few occasions. If anything it’ll be a little extra motivation to find her killer.” Nikki stood and hooked her gloved thumbs in the belt loops of her jeans.

A sound at the door had them both turning. The techs had arrived. Nora waved them in then moved to stand next to Nikki so they would be mostly out of the way. Nora was privately impressed that Nikki hadn’t been offended by her question. That was a good sign. “You want some coffee?”

Nikki seemed startled. “What?”

“I’ve got a thermos in the car. And these guys will take awhile. You can tell me what else you know about the former Mrs. Archer.”

****

“You make a mean cup of joe.”

Nora smiled politely as she leaned back against the side of her black El Camino. The sun was finally up, filtering through the trees and warming the metal around her. It was the first thing Nikki had said since they’d left the house, now swarming with police officers, for the relative quiet of the street. Of course the neighbors were out now, milling behind fluttering police tape. They whispered and pointed at the house. At the coroner’s wagon. And, Nora noted, at Nikki.

“Ignore them,” Nikki said as she turned her back on the gathering crowd. “If you make eye contact they’ll expect you to come over and explain everything.”

“I don’t answer to them,” Nora responded with a touch of heat.

Nikki hesitated at the tone before continuing. “Neither do I. But a lot of New Orleans wealthy and privileged are under the impression that the police are at their beck and call. It must be annoying as hell that no one has told them what’s going on.”

Nora kind of liked that thought. She glanced over her shoulder and caught more than a few irritated expressions tossed her way. She deliberately turned back and took a sip of coffee as Nikki did the same. “So what else do you know about Archer?”

Back to business, Nikki realized. She hoped Nora didn’t mind as she settled her hip against the side of the car. “The first thing that comes to mind is her husband. He’s the CEO of Bellwether Industries.”

“The shipping firm.”

“Yep.” Nikki was a little impressed that Nora knew that. “He’s an ass.”

The blonde detective cocked an eyebrow. “Is that what you’ve heard or what you know?”

“Both. He’s a womanizer. Married Delana for her money. That I’ve heard. But he grabbed my breast after he got a few martinis in him at last year’s policeman’s charity ball and I had to knee him in the nuts.”

Nora spluttered in her coffee, almost wearing some of it. She shot Nikki a startled look and the taller woman shrugged. The hell with it, Nora decided. She needed some of her curiosity satisfied. “Where did you transfer from?”

“Narcotics.”

“Seriously?” Nora found that hard to believe. The woman before her was too clean cut… too rich looking… And she was Beaumont’s kid for crying out loud.

Nikki smiled knowingly then took a step closer. She glanced flirtatiously through her bangs and slid her hand teasingly up Nora’s bare arm. When she spoke her voice was airy, a little unhinged. “Baby, can you fix me up? I need some ex so bad.”

Nora swallowed hard as she stared up at those taunting brown eyes at close range. Okay. So if she’d been a dealer she’d have forked some of her stash over without question. “Not bad.”

“Oh, I can be bad,” Nikki answered smoothly and in a tone that suggested she could indeed do what she promised. She let her hand slide down Nora’s bare arm, feeling toned muscle and the goosebumps she’d stirred in her wake.

Slightly confused Nora could only smile. “Why Special Crimes?”

The teasing glint evaporated from Nikki’s eyes as she stepped back. “I have my reasons.”

“Not going to share?”

“Maybe later.”

The medical examiner chose that moment to arrive. “Nora.” Charlie Duquesne dipped his head before his gaze darted to the tall brunette at her side. He noted the shield clipped to her jeans and gave her a nod as well. He yawned into his fist before scratching his muddy-red mustache.

“What have you got for me, Charlie?”

“Multiple stab wounds. I counted over thirty on my first visual sweep of the body. I’m guessing the slash to her jugular was the clincher, though.” His eyes went back to Nikki. “I’m Charlie.”

“Nikki. Nora’s new partner.”

Charlie regarded the brunette with a startled expression then his face took on a delighted look that made Nora want to growl at him.

“Well nice to meet you, Nikki. Ha. Nikki and Nora. That’s classic.”

They both looked at him.

“Anyway,” he said once he cleared his throat. “There are signs of rape, I’m afraid.”

Nikki looked down and sighed.

“Why is she so decomposed?” Nora took another hit of her coffee and wished she had a bagel to go with it.

“You might have noticed the heat was running full blast in there. The maid who found her had turned it back when she first arrived.”

Not really, Nora thought but didn’t voice. It was a cool October day for New Orleans and she’d been hankering for a jacket since she’d left the gym. “How long do you think she’s been dead?”

“A week.”

“No one noticed that she was missing for a week?” Nikki shook her head. “I find that hard to believe. Where is the maid?”

Charlie turned and pointed at an older African American woman sitting on the stoop, a vacant expression on her features.

“Thanks, Charlie,” Nora said as she handed him her cup of coffee. “Let me know when you have the definitive cause of death.”

“You know I will, sugar.” He watched the two women walk away, sun dappling over their swaying figures. Despite the circumstances he grinned before finishing off the cooling cup of coffee in his hands.

****

“Ma’am?” Nora paused in front of the maid and waited for her to become aware of her presence. After an uncertain moment the woman lifted her head and met Nora’s gaze. She was pretty, the detective noted, probably in her early fifties. She’d aged well with a minimum amount of wrinkles creasing her light brown skin. Her graying hair was pulled back and clipped. She wore a loose apron over a green cardigan and jeans. “I’m detective Nora Delaney. This is detective Nikki Beaumont. May we ask you a few questions?”

The maid nodded and shifted a little to the side as Nora joined her on the steps. Around them other officers came and went. A few men from the coroner’s office passed them with an empty gurney, heading for the body in the upstairs bedroom.

“I’m Amelia. Amelia Everly.” The older woman laced her fingers and let her wrists rest on her knees. “I can’t get that image out of my mind. Seeing Mrs. Archer like that.” She shuddered.

Nikki guessed the woman was a smoker if her raspy voice was any indication. “You weren’t here at all last week?”

“No, ma’am,” Amelia answered. “I was on vacation in Arkansas. My youngest is a freshman in college there. I went to see him play.”

“A Razorback?” Nora guessed.

For a moment Amelia beamed. “Yes, ma’am. He’s a wide receiver. Even caught a touchdown his first game.”

Nora smiled as Nikki looked on with interest at the other detective’s interrogation technique.

“Think about that,” Nora told her. “When you start to remember Mrs. Archer.”

Amelia considered the advice then nodded her head. She took a breath. “Mrs. Archer told me to take the vacation. She knew I was missing my son and wanted to see him play. She encouraged it. Said she and Mr. Archer were going out of town for a few days and that I wouldn’t be needed.”

Nikki leaned against the rail. “Where were they going?”

“She didn’t say,” Amelia answered. “Frankly I thought it was odd that they were leaving town.”

“Why?” Nora asked.

“Mr. and Mrs. Archer…” the maid hesitated. “They don’t spend much time together.”

Nora nodded as she shared a knowing look with Nikki. “When was the last time you saw Mrs. Archer alive?”

“Last Sunday. She seemed rushed. Said her trip was last minute. She told me I didn’t need to come in until…” Amelia broke off and brushed a loose tendril of hair away from her features with a shaky hand. “I came in this morning and found her like that.” She shook her head. “Who would do that to her? She was so small. So… harmless.”

“We’ll need to get your prints and a sample of your DNA for exclusionary purposes,” Nikki told her.

Amelia nodded. “Whatever you need, detectives. Whatever you need.”

****

Two hours later Nikki dropped her purse onto her nearly bare desk. The squad around her was pretending to work but she knew that they were all eyeing her surreptitiously. Nora had ducked out to talk to Dan, leaving her alone at her new desk to get settled in. She hauled back her chair and sat. It creaked a little as she reclined, surveying her new home away from home.

It was a big concrete and wood box, she decided. Mostly men filled the space with a few less-than-friendly looking females. Nikki focused on Nora and wondered if her partner was one of them. Although Nora had been polite all morning there was definitely some friction there. What was causing it was a mystery.

“Hi.”

Nikki used her right foot to spin herself around. A pretty African American woman was standing there, a cluster of folders tucked under one arm. She was dressed in a pressed white pants suit that made the flawless mocha color of her skin stand out vividly. Her shoulder length hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. “Hi,” she drawled.

“I’m Georgia,” the newcomer said as she offered a well manicured hand. “Welcome to the squad.”

Nikki noted the detective shield on the other woman’s hip and she smiled. “Thank you,” she replied giving Georgia’s hand a firm shake. “Glad to see Nora isn’t the only other female detective around here.”

Georgia glanced toward Dan’s office where she could see her boss and Nora having a very animated conversation. “We’re few but we’re feisty,” she said with a grin. “I’m on my way to court but we’ll have to get together sometime for coffee.”

“I’d like that,” Nikki answered sincerely. She glanced around the squad room and was amused as several gazed skittered away from hers. “You can tell me who to avoid around here.”

“Will do,” Georgia promised before giving her a friendly wink and walking away.

“Well at least I’ve got one ally in this place,” Nikki muttered as her eyes went to Nora’s profile again. She wondered what the two were arguing about. Probably her she admitted.

She’d been surprised to be paired with Nora Delaney. No doubt about it. She’d heard plenty about the other detective during her years on the force and she’d been excited to meet her when she’d transferred to Special Crimes. Being her partner, however, was not something she would have ever anticipated.

But she was grateful for the chance and was determined to get Nora to like her if it was the last thing she did. The other woman had way too much to teach her and she had plenty to learn.

And the fact that Nora was just plain hot didn’t hurt, either.

Nikki pursed her lips, mentally chastising herself for having such thoughts. Not that they weren’t true she thought with an inward chuckle.

****

“No.”

“Dan.”

“No!” He sat down behind his desk. “That’s final.”

Nora fidgeted then sat opposite him. “We’re from two different worlds.”

“Make it work.”

“How?” Nora almost whined. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Nikki. She sensed she could really enjoy her company which was surprising when she considered how she usually felt about the rich and pretentious.

“Nora…” Dan said plaintively. “She’s a good cop. She’s got a clean jacket and a hell of a lot of arrests under her belt.”

“In narcotics.”

“Which is where you came from as I recall.”

Nora crossed her arms. It was clear this was a fight she wasn’t going to win. She glanced toward the squad room and caught Nikki watching them. The brunette offered a tiny wave, reminiscent of their first meeting and Nora realized she was smiling back at her before she had any conscious thought to do so. She looked back at Dan who had caught the whole exchange. “What?”

“What?” he said defensively. “Look, Nora. I’ve wanted to elevate you into a more prominent role in this department. You’re good at handling the high profile cases but you…” He struggled to find a polite way of saying what was on his mind and couldn’t. “But you suck at dealing with the upper class.”

Nora said nothing knowing that he was right.

And she was proud of it.

“Nikki has plenty of dealings with that society. You help her get acclimated to the homicides and she’ll help you with the high society types.”

“Doesn’t seem like a fair trade,” Nora muttered but her gaze drifted to her new partner once more. Nikki was on the phone now, smiling that charming little grin of hers as she jotted something down on her notepad. Nikki was too pretty to be a cop, Nora decided. Too refined. For some odd reason Nora didn’t want her new partner to be touched by the kind of darkness working in Special Crimes brought every day.

“At least I don’t have to worry about your new partner hitting on you,” Dan teased.

Nora blinked then looked back at him. “Is that what this is about?” she asked with a trace of a laugh.

“Get out of here and go find Delana Archer’s killer,” he ordered before picking up his own phone.

Nora shook her head but did as told. She strolled back into the squad room and took a seat at her desk, waiting for Nikki to finish her phone call.

“Thanks, Darius,” Nikki was saying. “Yeah, I’ll do that.” She hung up then looked over at Nora.

“Boyfriend?” Nora asked casually.

Nikki smiled. “He’s a boy and he’s a friend,” she replied.

“So.” Nora clasped her hands and put them on her desk. “Where do you want to go from here?”

“Would I seem like a loser if I said lunch?”

Nora grinned, realizing she was doing a lot of that today. If Nikki weren’t Arthur Beaumont’s kid… She mentally sighed. “Lunch sounds good actually. Then we should hit the husband.”

“Did that already,” Nikki reminded her.

For a second Nora looked blank then remembered Nikki’s comment about the policeman’s charity ball. “Right. Maybe I should do most of the talking on that one.”

“Fine,” Nikki said as she got to her feet and shouldered her purse. “But I get to pick where we eat.”

Nora nodded once, hoping wherever her partner chose she could afford it. “Okay. Let me change then we can get out of here.” She grabbed a duffle bag from under her desk and sauntered off toward the ladies room indicating with a dip of her head that Nikki was welcome to tag along.

Nikki did, following Nora into the bathroom. She leaned against one of the sinks as the shorter woman entered a stall and began changing. Nikki had plenty of topics she wanted to discuss with Nora, not the least of which was what she and Dan had talked about. Instead she stuck to the safer ground of the case. “The guy I was on the phone with… he’s a contact named Darius. He’s plugged into every tier of New Orleans society. I asked him to ferret out whatever he could find about Delana Archer.”

Nora shrugged out of her tank top and stuffed it into her duffle bag before pulling out a thin, soft figure hugging brown sweater. “You trust him?”

“He’s never let me down once. His info is as good as his gold teeth.”

Nora shook her head before slipping the sweater on. Nikki had a very interesting sense of humor. “Do I get to meet him?”

“Of course.” Nikki crossed her feet and watched as the sweatpants came shimming down. There was a small, ornate cross tattoo on the inside of Nora’s left ankle. Nikki smiled. “That’s where we’re going for lunch.”

“There better be food involved in this meeting. A PowerBar only takes a girl so far.”

Nikki shuddered at the thought. “There’s food. You know Sweeny’s?”

The blonde paused with one leg inside her tan slacks. “You know Sweeny’s?” she said with a different inflection.

“Best friggin’ bar-b-cue in the city. Best kept secret, too.”

“It’s a dive,” Nora replied, still getting over her shock that someone as high class as Nikki Beaumont had even heard of the place. Maybe she was being too unfair toward Nikki’s society status. Clearly there was more to the woman than her money. She wouldn’t be a damn cop, otherwise.

And the mystery of how someone as rich and privileged as Nikki Beaumont became a cop was almost more tantalizing than their current case.

“Oh yeah,” Nikki readily agreed. “Sometimes I think that’s why the food is so good.” She fell silent as Nora emerged from the stall. Her partner sank her feet into a pair of soft, brown leather boots before turning to pick up her duffle bag. The sweater rode up, revealing a delicate design across Nora’s lower back. Nikki heard her own breath catch and she averted her eyes. Jesus that tattoo was sexy as hell. She really, truly could have gone without seeing that.

Oblivious to the effect she was having on her partner, Nora turned and stood, slinging the bag over her shoulder. She pulled the clasp on her ponytail, shaking out her blonde locks before running a hand through them to order her bangs. Finally she focused her gaze on Nikki. “Then let’s eat.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see chapter one for notes.

Nora’s stomach rumbled the instant she smelled the scent of bar-b-cue, French fries and grease. Sweeny’s was populated with a motley group of diners from biker bad boys to suit clad cops. The place was small, only big enough to hold ten booths and a few tables. Most people sat at the bar which ran the length of the grimy establishment. A few unsavory fellows whistled at their entrance until Nikki struck a casual pose and stared up at the menu, her long leather duster falling back to reveal the gold shield at her waist.

“Nikki!” The owner called out from the kitchen. He came through a swinging door and passed around the bar before enveloping the brunette in a crushing hug. Shaped like a fire plug with a sparse amount of receding gray hair at his temples he somehow managed to be both simultaneously charming and oily.

“Syd,” Nikki said as she stepped back. “What’s the most artery clogging, heart attack inducing item on today’s menu?”

He gave her a beaming smile, revealing a lack of several teeth. “Please,” he said with a laugh and an accent Nora couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t Creole but it was close. “You know you want the pulled pork. You always get the pulled pork with extra sauce.”

“And don’t forget the beans,” she warned him playfully, allowing a little of her own New Orleans accent to lilt into her speech.

“Shut your mouth,” he teased before turning to Nora. “And what do we have here? Such a lovely young lady.”

Nora’s eyebrows rose as she glanced askance at Nikki. Then her eyebrows hiked even higher when Nikki threaded her arm around Nora’s.

“This is my new partner, Nora Delaney.”

“Ah. She’s much better looking than that last one. I didn’t like Sam.”

Nora watched in fascination as Nikki blushed and immediately released her.

“Um… not that kind of partner, Syd.” Nikki reached over and lifted the hem of Nora’s sweater, nearly making her partner jump when warm fingers brushed her belly.

Syd saw the shield then laughed. “Oops.” He winked. “Well then. Come and sit. And I will get two platters for two of New Orleans finest.” He waddled off leaving the two bemused women in his wake.

Nora glanced at Nikki to see she was still blushing. “Sam?”

“Don’t go there,” Nikki pleaded as she headed for the back booth.

Nora filed the name away for later ammunition. As she followed her partner she noticed a black man sitting in the last booth. His hair was in long dreads, his right nostril pierced and sporting a simple silver ring.

Darius stood and gave Nikki a hug. “You make it hard to do business, girl. Everybody in the joint knows I’m talking to a cop.”

“What we’re talking about has nothing to do with them so I doubt they’ll care.” Nikki slid into the other side of the booth, pleased when Nora followed. “This is my new partner, on the force,” Nikki added for clarification. “Nora Delaney.”

“Enchanted.” Darius took Nora’s hand and lowered his lips to bestow a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

“Likewise,” Nora drawled. He grinned at her and she grinned back. He was a scoundrel. It was written all over him. But there was charm there and something more, she realized. Maybe it was because Nikki trusted him, Nora thought, but she found herself warming up to him quickly.

Syd chose that moment to arrive with two plates full of bar-b-cue, beans and fries. He also set down two plates of pecan pie followed by two sodas. Nora noted her soda was different than Nikki’s and that her sauce was to the side, just as she preferred it. She gave him a startled glance.

“Syd’s psychic,” Darius explained off-handedly. “He knows what you want to eat and drink before you do.”

Nora looked at Nikki who just nodded in agreement as she took a hefty bite of her sandwich. “Thanks,” she said.

“On the house,” Syd said with a wink. He nudged Nora in the arm. “Maybe you make Nikki here a better partner than Sam.”

Darius nearly sprayed the table with the sip of water he’d just taken.

“Syd!” Nikki glared at the owner as he laughed and walked away. She knew she was blushing to her roots and swore she’d get even at some point.

Darius wiped his bottom lip. “Anyhoo…” he murmured and Nikki gave him a grateful look he read easily. “Delana and Richard Archer.”

“Do tell,” Nikki said as she began attacking her beans

Nora drizzled some sauce on her sandwich then sampled it, her eyes nearly popping out of her head it was so good.

“Married for ten years. No kids. Not even a cat.”

“We knew that already, Darius.”

“Yeah well Mr. Archer likes the ladies. Sometimes he even likes the gents. And sometimes he likes them both at the same time.”

The two detectives shared a glance.

“My, my,” Nora murmured before taking another bite of her sandwich.

“What about their relationship? Any word on the street?”

Darius frowned and waggled his hand from side to side before snatching one of Nikki’s fries. “I’m not hearing much in the way about what went on between their sheets if you know what I’m sayin’. But my sources are telling me that he’s a ruthless prick. He gets off running some of the smaller shipping companies out of business. He’s closed ten since moving to New Orleans eleven years ago.”

“You think he could have killed his wife?” Nora asked.

Darius leaned back as he nibbled on the fry. “You bet your cute ass. I’m just not sure he’d get his hands dirty. I’ve got feelers out to see if maybe he hired someone to do it. I mean, you got to be one cold crazy bastard to stab the woman you married thirty six times.”

Nora’s head came up in surprise. “How did you know…?”

“I’m connected,” Darius said with a smile and a flick of the lapels of his tan leather jacket.

Nora tilted her head in acceptance of that and continued to eat. “This is pretty damn good,” she admitted.

“Wait till you try the pie,” Darius told her.

****

“Those are nice boots.”

Nora looked down at her footwear, nearly tripping as they entered the glassy lobby of Bellwether Industries. “Thanks,” she replied. “Target special,” she drawled, wondering if Nikki would react to that with horror.

Instead, the other detective held out her watch, a thick black leather strap with an intricately flowered design in the center. “This one’s mine.”

“Nice,” Nora admitted with a quirk of her lips. Nikki had kept her on her toes all morning, surprising her at every turn. She kind of liked that.

They approached the receptionist, noting the view of the Mississippi beyond the tempered glass behind her. Nora flashed her badge. “Detectives Nora Delaney and Nikki Beaumont to see Richard Archer.”

“One moment please,” the receptionist murmured. She turned to the phone bank and punched in a number.

Nora leaned against the counter and turned to face her partner. “Is that really a Target watch?”

Nikki smiled mischievously. “No. It was a gift from my dad. I just wanted to see what you’d say.”

“Sneaky.”

“Like you weren’t fishing for a response by telling me your boots are from Target.”

Nora hiked an eyebrow but a smile stayed on her face. “They are.”

“That doesn’t make them any less nice. You probably just paid a much more reasonable price for them.”

That was a point they could both agree on.

Nikki turned and leaned against the desk as well, her shoulder brushing Nora’s. “Impressive digs.”

“It’s pretentious,” Nora drawled. She noticed Nikki’s perfume, an earthy scent that was rather pleasant.

“It’s meant to be,” Nikki answered. “We’re meant to tremble in awe at the sheer cost of it.”

“Money is power.”

Nikki glanced at Nora. “Sometimes,” she conceded as she heard the receptionist wrapping up her call. “And sometimes people just think it is.”

“You’re cleared to go up. Third set of elevators on the right. You’ll need this,” the receptionist said as she handed a keycard to Nora. “Level fourteen.”

“Thanks,” Nora replied as she and Nikki turned and headed for the six sets of elevators a few feet away.

There was no one else in the lobby except them and their footfalls seemed loud in the quiet. Nora tapped the “up” button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

“So you equate money with power,” Nikki stated casually.

Nora shrugged. “Seems like people with a lot of cash can get a lot of things done. Even when it’s at the expense of someone else.”

Nikki frowned. “You think I’ve got power? You recognized my daddy’s name.”

There was something oddly ridiculous about a thirty three year old woman calling her father “daddy” like that Nora decided. The elevator arrived and they stepped inside. Nora swiped the keycard and pressed the button for the top floor, stalling for time as she formulated a response. “I don’t know,” she said when the elevator started its smooth ascent. “But your… daddy… certainly does.”

“I’ve never used his money to get me anywhere in this life,” Nikki said simply. “Some nice shoes at Sak’s, sure.”

Nora felt a grin trying to worm onto her features.

“Look,” Nikki said after a moment. “I know you’ve got a chip on your shoulder about the rich. Dan told me.”

“Oh he did, did he?” Nora drawled, surprised that she wasn’t more upset by that knowledge.

“I just… I want you to know that I know how the other half lives,” Nikki said softly. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the way I want to.”

The elevator dinged and the doors parted, revealing the two detectives caught in an intense regard of one another. Without a word Nikki slipped past Nora and out into another lobby, leaving the other detective momentarily stunned. Slowly Nora followed, her entire perception of Nikki Beaumont shifting under the import of her partner’s simple declaration.

Her partner.

Nora tasted the phrase as she looked at Nikki talking to another receptionist.

Maybe this could work after all.

****

Fifteen minutes later, they were led into an ostentatious office and left alone to wait some more. Nikki sat in one of the deep, brown leather chairs without hesitation. Nora on the other hand prowled the office, her gaze skimming over the rows and rows of books, trophies, and pictures of Richard Archer glad-handing several celebrities. She rolled her eyes before crossing to the window.

“Nice view,” she muttered. She turned her head when she felt warmth at her side. Nikki had come up behind her and was staring out the glass to the Mississippi below. It was sunny for now, although clouds were gathering on the horizon. As the two women watched wordlessly, a steamboat puttered along filled to nearly bursting with tourists. Nora glanced at her partner again, studying Nikki’s attractive profile.

“Why?” Nora asked suddenly.

Nikki looked at her. “Why what?”

“Why are you a cop?”

Nikki had been expecting the question all day but she knew she didn’t have the time to give the answer it required. “Later,” she said, but her voice held the note of promise to it that Nora needed to let it rest for now.

The door opened and Richard Archer appeared. Normally he would have been a handsome man but today his appearance was haggard, his salt and pepper hair ruffled, his tie slightly askew as he motioned them to their seats. “Please,” he said in a strained voice. “Thank you so much for coming detectives.”

Nikki and Nora exchanged glances as they complied. They all sat. Nora introduced herself and Nikki. From his lack of reaction to her partner’s name, Nora guessed Archer didn’t remember the charity ball incident. Nor did he seem to realize that Nikki came from even more money than he could imagine.

“Mr. Archer,” Nora said softly. “Let me begin by telling you how sorry we are for your loss.”

Nikki watched in fascination as the tears seemed to come on cue.

“Thank you,” Archer said, his voice quavering. “I… I didn’t know what to do with myself. It’s not like I can go home. When the officers came and told me…” He paused, his gaze going to his clasped hands. “I just…”

“I understand,” Nora sounded sympathetic. “We just need to ask you a few questions.”

“Of course.” He sighed, a ragged sound.

“It’s estimated that your wife has been dead almost a week. Were you not home during that time?”

“No. I was in Boston on business. I still have the receipts…” Archer said in a distracted voice. “Del was supposed to be away on vacation. We have a house in the Keys.”

A ready alibi, Nikki thought. She’d make sure to get those receipts. And as fair skinned as Delana Archer was she had a hard time imagining the woman would have chosen the Keys for a getaway. She doubted Delana had even owned a swimsuit.

“You didn’t try to call her?”

“Yes, of course I did. I called the house in Florida. Our home here. Her cell. I just figured she was ignoring me. We fought before she left. I was supposed to go with her.” His voice broke and he cleared his throat. “I just got back this morning.”

“Was there anyone who might have wanted to harm your wife, Mr. Archer?” Nora asked. She darted a glance at Nikki. Her partner had her eyes narrowed, studying Richard Archer very carefully.

“God no,” he said earnestly. “She’s just so sweet. And she’s quiet. Like a mouse. All she does is serve on the boards of a bunch of charities. Who would want to hurt a woman like that?”

Nora noted that he still referred to his wife as if she were alive. An honest choice or a deliberate one to throw them off she wasn’t sure. “We’re going to find out,” she promised. “Meanwhile, we need you to come down to the station as soon as you’re able.”

“Why?”

“We need a sample of your DNA and your fingerprints for exclusionary purposes,” Nikki finally spoke.

Archer looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. There was a flicker of something in his eyes but neither detective was sure if it was recognition or frustration with his situation that had caused it.

“Of course,” he said again. “I’ll come down within the hour if that is acceptable. I just want the bastard who hurt Del to be punished. Whatever you need from me.”

Nora nodded once then looked at Nikki. By silent agreement they stood. “I think that’s all for now. We may have some more questions for you later.”

Archer nodded. “I understand.” He shook Nora’s hand then Nikki’s. “Please. If there is anything I can do to help.”

“A list,” Nora told him. “Of all her friends and family. We’ll need to talk to them.”

“As well as a list of all the charities she served on,” Nikki added. “And those receipts.”

“Absolutely. You’ll have both when I stop by the station.”

“Thank you,” Nora said as she walked away and headed for the door with Nikki in tow. “We’ll be in touch.”

Then they were through the door, past the lobby, and into the elevator. Nora started to speak but Nikki gave a quick shake of her head that had the more seasoned detective lapsing into surprised silence.

They returned the keycard to the receptionist then made their way out into the late afternoon. Both women slipped on sunglasses as they headed across the plaza toward Nora’s El Camino.

“What was that in the elevator?” Nora asked once she’d turned the key in the ignition.

“There was no way Archer wasn’t listening in on what we were saying. He’s too shrewd for that,” Nikki answered as they pulled away from the curb.

“You weren’t buying what he was selling, huh?”

“Were you?”

Nora frowned. “Hard to tell. Sometimes people are in such shock they act the way they think they’re supposed to act.”

“Archer was a theater minor in college,” Nikki informed her.

Nora shot her a startled look. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Sonofabitch.”

Nikki shrugged as her gaze took in the passing scenery. “He did seem awfully willing to offer up his DNA and prints, though.”

“Maybe too willing,” Nora agreed.

“Maybe. He must know we can’t use either against him.”

“We’ll just see about that.”

****

They put in another six hours on the case, finally deciding to call it a day around ten in the evening. In addition to familiarizing themselves more thoroughly with both Archers’ backgrounds and financials they’d also set up several appointments with some of Delana Archer’s friends and family for the following day.

A cold rain was starting to fall as they made their way to the parking lot. Nora glanced at her partner, realizing she was actually a little reluctant to say goodnight. “You never answered my question,” she said as Nikki started to get in her car, a snazzy red convertible mustang.

Nikki paused, one foot inside her car. She stepped back out. “My mother.”

Nora stuffed her hands in her pockets and sauntered closer. They hadn’t had much time to chat about anything personal since returning to the station and she found her curiosity about the other woman purring again. She ignored the rain. “What about her?”

“She was murdered.”

Nora went still, shocked at how intense the ache was for the woman before her. “Nikki…”

Nikki looked down at the roof of her car, watching the drops pool together then scamper down her windows. “They never caught her killer. I was fifteen when it happened.” She traced her finger through the moisture, aware of Nora’s silence to her left. “Someone shot my mother full of heroin and left her alone to die in our greenhouse.” She looked at Nora then seeing both sympathy and understanding in her green eyes. “So maybe I am from a more privileged background then most. But having money doesn’t make you immune to murder.”

Nora came closer and stopped only a few feet away. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice sounding considerably more sincere than it had with Archer earlier in the day. “I hate it when people make assumptions about me just for being a cop, or a woman. I made some assumptions about you I shouldn’t have.”

Nikki watched Nora’s face, struck again by how beautiful she was as the rain washed down the other woman’s cheeks. She was shivering faintly, her light leather jacket poor protection against the elements. “What changed your mind? The fact that my mom was murdered?”

“It was what you said in the elevator. It’s been your attitude all day. It’s the fact that your mother was murdered. I guess the whole package was like a needle popping my balloon of misconceptions about the rich.”

Without thinking Nikki reached out and wiped Nora’s wet bangs away from her chiseled features. It seemed like the most natural thing to do in the world. “Don’t assume they’re all wrong, Nora. But don’t assume they apply to everyone in a particular tax bracket, either.” With a soft smile she slipped into her car. As she drove away she saw Nora Delaney in her rearview mirror, watching her until the darkness and distance came between them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see chapter one for notes.

Nora entered her apartment with a sigh. It seemed especially empty since Alan, her most recent ex, had moved out four weeks ago. The relationship was no huge loss but at the moment she at least missed what he represented.

Someone to come home to.

She tossed her bag on her couch and made her way toward the bathroom, stripping out of her wet clothes along the way. She started filling the bathtub then grabbed her robe and slipped it on before wandering back toward the kitchen.

A glass of wine and a peanut butter sandwich served as dinner. By the time she’d prepared both and made her way back the bath was full of steaming water. She set her meal down, turned off the faucet and sprinkled in some bath oils. The robe slipped from her frame and she submerged herself, groaning at how good the heat felt.

When the sandwich was gone and the wine nearly so, she sat back and let her head rest against the lip of the tub. Her thoughts, empty until now, conjured up an image of her new partner.

“Nikki Beaumont,” she said aloud with a fair imitation of a Cajun drawl. She smiled. What a damn first day they’d had as partners. She imagined that their first case together was all over the press by now. Nikki was going to get a trial by fire on this one.

She sensed the woman could handle it.

Damn it all if she didn’t like her. There was something very refreshing about Nikki, Nora admitted. Something that shook loose that playful part of herself that she almost never revealed to others and certainly not on the job. They’d known each other less than 24 hours but Nora found herself eager to go to work tomorrow, eager to get to know this new addition to her life a little better.

The only downside to the whole situation was Dan. He was going to be insufferable if she decided Nikki would do as a partner. He’d already bet her an expensive dinner that she’d accept Nikki by the end of the week.

She hated it when he was right.

****

“Hey, daddy,” Nikki spoke into her cell phone as she slipped out of her wet jacket. “I just got in.”

She listened to him respond as she shucked off her boots, leaving them dripping in her foyer. “Fine. My new partner seems… very nice.” Nice just didn’t seem to be the right word for Nora Delaney, Nikki decided with a smirk. Intense was more like it, but in the good sense of the word. She started unzipping her wet jeans, knowing that they were going to be a bitch to get off.

“Yeah, the Archer case is mine,” she admitted. “You know I can’t tell you anything,” she replied sternly when he asked for details. She gave up on her jeans and started fumbling with the buttons on her shirt. Her fingers were freezing and it made the process harder than it should have been. “But maybe you can tell me a thing or two.”

Nikki lost the shirt and unclasped her bra before heading into the bathroom and starting a bath. “Daddy, I know you don’t like gossip,” she placated him when he got defensive, ignoring the fact that he’d just tried to pump her for information. “I’m not asking for any of that. I’m just trying to figure out who killed that poor woman.” She winced as she peeled off her socks and flexed her cold toes.

She tossed some bath salts in and took a deep, appreciative breath when the scent of juniper wafted up to greet her.

“Just keep your ears open. That’s all I ask.” She switched the phone to her other ear as she sat down on the corner of the tub and started wrestling one handed with her jeans. “And what’s your opinion of Archer anyway?” Nikki paused at his answer her eyebrows elevating in surprise. “Daddy, such language,” she teased. “What about Delana?”

She listened to her father talk at length about the deceased woman noting that he shared Nikki’s impression of her. “Let me ask you something,” she interrupted after a few minutes. “Did Archer ever call his wife Del? He didn’t seem the type to use nicknames to me but that’s what he kept calling her.” Her father’s answer told her what she needed to know.

“Okay. Listen, daddy, I’m going to take a hot bath and relax. It’s been a long one and tomorrow is probably going to be worse.” Nikki smiled. “Yeah, I love you, too. Thanks for callin’.” She hung up, amazed at how much her accent picked up just talking to her father on the phone. She tossed the phone aside and climbed into the tub, sighing as the heat and water enveloped her.

Unbidden she thought of her partner, standing there in the rain, watching her as she drove away. She hoped Nora was approaching her evening in a similar fashion. They’d both earned it.

Silence pressed in and Nikki frowned, wishing she’d turned on the radio. She began humming a tune low in her throat. Some zydeco number she’d heard walking along in the French Quarter last Friday when her friends from narcotics had taken her out drinking and dancing. She idly wondered if Nora liked to dance.

A sneeze caught her attention and she turned. “Nestor!” she said happily as her dog, a blond haired mutt about knee high, came tottering into the bathroom. “Hey boy!” He came closer and licked her face before settling on the bathmat with a sigh. Nikki smiled glad for his company.

“Wait till you meet my new partner, Nestor. You’ll like her. I know I do,” she said with a sly grin. “She’s got the most gorgeous tattoo on her back. I swear, if I saw Nora in a bar I’d…” She shook her head. “Mmm. Shame.”

****

“Hey, Darius.”

“Hey, sugar. Where’s your cute partner, on the force, at?” He winked at her.

Nikki rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. “Why do I have the feeling you’re never going to let me live that down?”

“The look on your face was priceless.” Darius chuckled as he accepted the white bag she tossed him.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the French Quarter, casting long shadows and golden rays of warmth over the early risers enjoying breakfast at Café Du Monde. Nikki sipped her coffee and idly watched the fortune tellers setting up across the street. She heard the bag rustle then Darius gave a sigh of appreciation as he bit into his beignet.

“So,” Darius said as he chewed. “What do you think of your new partner?”

Nikki shrugged. “I got off to a better start with her than I did with David.” She wrinkled her nose at the memory of her former partner. David Fillion had been a good cop but a lousy partner. The word macho just didn’t have enough testosterone behind it to really apply. He’d been protective of her in a condescending and annoying way yet he never hesitated to use her “assets” to get into the good graces of any pimp, informant, or pusher they came across.

“I’m glad you got out of narcotics. I know you wanted to move up to Special Crimes for a while.”

“That I have, Darius,” she agreed. She took another sip of her coffee as a barge blew its horn somewhere further down the Mississippi. The city was waking up around her and she had to admit it was kind of enjoyable to watch. It wasn’t a habit, being up this early, but she’d wanted to do something nice for Nora and getting her breakfast seemed like an easy overture. “Nah. Nora seems nice. We felt each other out a little yesterday. We’ve got a few obstacles to get over in the trust department, but I’m hopeful.”

“She’s fine,” he commented casually.

Nikki turned her head and regarded her friend with a disapproving look. “You can reel in the line, Darius. You’re not going to get a bite with your fishing here.”

“Ah, come on, Nikki,” he teased affectionately. “You can’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

“I’m a detective. Of course I noticed.” She gave him a slight wink. “And speaking of me being a detective…”

Darius held up his hands in defeat. “Yeah, yeah. Fine. You guys got some chemistry going, though. I know about these things.”

Nikki hesitated. Darius, did, in fact, know about these things. She decided it was information she didn’t need to know. Nora was her partner for crying out loud. Nothing was going to happen there. ”So what have you got for me?”

“You want more on Archer or on your partner?”

“You checked out Nora?” There was a faint note of outrage in her voice.

“I’m just looking out for you. New Orleans does have a reputation for some less than scrupulous cops.”

Nikki bit her lip. “Tell me.”

Darius grinned and leaned in, watching in satisfaction as Nikki did the same. “You probably picked up that she doesn’t like the rich much.”

“No,” Nikki said in mock shock.

“Her dad, her biological dad… he was at the top of the donor list for a liver. Geoffrey Charleston… you know him?”

“The banker,” she said her voice quieter. She sensed where this was going.

“Rumor on the street is he somehow bought the liver meant for Nora’s pop. Delaney died waiting. He was a beat cop. Twenty six years on the job. When he died it seriously messed up the family. Mom didn’t work and didn’t have skills to find a good paying job and she had two kids at home to feed. It wasn’t pretty.”

Nora had a sibling. Nikki filed that away. “What happened?”

“Well, Mrs. Delaney is a force to be reckoned with apparently. She worked four menial jobs to put herself through school. She’s a nurse now.” Darius sounded as impressed as Nikki felt. “Nora worked, too. She had two jobs in high school. Three to put herself through college although she had some help with a track scholarship.”

“They had to fight for everything they had,” Nikki murmured. She knew Charleston, a bastard of a man who had ruined his first liver by drowning it daily in liquor. God, she’d have a much bigger chip on her shoulder if she were Nora, she realized. Her respect for the woman swelled.

“She’s one hell of a cop, Nik,” Darius said. “You couldn’t ask for a better partner covering your back.”

“Somehow I knew that.”

“And neither can she,” Darius added with a twinkle in his eyes.

Nikki leaned across the table and kissed him on the cheek. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

He grinned and took another bite of his free breakfast. “Now about Archer…”

Nikki finished her coffee. “What do you have on him now?”

“Not him. Her.”

Her eyebrows rose. “This sounds good.”

****

Nora frowned when she found Nikki’s desk empty the next morning. A quick check of her watch told her it was ten after nine. She dropped her duffle onto her chair and let her gaze sweep the squad room.

“Great,” she muttered.

Her phone rang and she picked it up absently. “Delaney.”

“Hi, Nora. It’s Charlie. I got what you wanted on Archer if you want to swing by.”

“That was fast,” she commented before nudging her bag onto the floor and sitting down.

“I got the mayor’s office and the press breathing down my neck on this one.”

“So you worked through the night to get them breathing down mine instead.”

“No one will ever accuse you of being stupid, sugar.” He chuckled. “Why don’t you and that pretty new partner of yours come on down?”

“I’d love to but that pretty new partner of mine isn’t here, yet.” She parroted back at him.

“Yes she is.”

Nora jumped at the voice behind and above her. Nikki smiled when the detective turned then dropped the bag bearing a Café Du Monde logo on Nora’s desk. A tall cup of coffee followed. “Breakfast.”

Nora felt her stomach growl when the smell of coffee and beignets hit her. “We’ll be down in twenty, Charlie.” She hung up before he could respond. She watched as Nikki sat, taking in her outfit. She was in jeans again with a soft red sweater hugging her curves. The black leather duster was still a part of the ensemble. Nora guessed the sweater was probably cashmere. Nora felt positively scruffy in her own faded denim and light blue shirt. “Hi,” she said, blushing when she realized what Nikki overheard.

“Hi, yourself.” Nikki leaned back and propped her black leather boots on her desk. “Sorry I’m late. Who was that on the phone?”

Nora couldn’t contain herself any longer. She grabbed the bag, noting the cream and sugars tossed in for her coffee. “Charlie. He’s got cause of death and a few findings to go over with us.” She stuffed a beignet in her mouth. “Thanks,” she said when she swallowed before licking powdered sugar off her lips. “I didn’t get breakfast.” She offered her the bag.

Her partner smiled. “Those are for you. I had breakfast with Darius.”

So there was a work related reason for Nikki’s tardiness. Nora mentally slapped herself for assuming the worst. “Oh?”

“You ready for this? Miss mousey, shy Delana Archer was having an affair.”

The cup of coffee halted between the desk and Nora’s lips. “No freaking way.”

“Want the real clincher? She was doing the horizontal mambo with another woman.”

Nora took a healthy sip of her coffee. She needed the caffeine to get her brain kick started around that tasty little tidbit of information. “So Richard, perhaps we should call him Dick for short, wasn’t giving the wife what she needed.”

Nikki grinned. “Apparently not. I imagine if he found out that would be quite a blow to an ego that size.”

“Eyah.” Nora shook her head. “Your Darius is liquid gold.”

“He’s your Darius now, too,” Nikki informed her casually. She was curious about Nora’s reaction to the news. At least her partner didn’t seem disgusted, merely curious about the information as it pertained to a possible motive. “Come on. Let’s go see Charlie.” She got to her feet and stifled a smile as Nora grabbed the bag of beignets and her coffee and trotted after her.

****

“So I’m pretty, huh?”

Nora shot her partner a startled look as she dumped two sugars into her coffee. They were now waiting in the lobby at the coroner’s office, studiously ignoring the smell of antiseptic and other scents they didn’t want to examine too closely. “Excuse me?”

Nikki merely shook her head and didn’t repeat the question. She glanced around and took in her surroundings.

“I guess you didn’t get by the morgue much in narcotics,” Nora commented as she stirred her coffee then sucked on the straw.

“Not much,” Nikki confessed. “I’m going to have to get used to it now, though, huh?”

“’Fraid so.” Nora looked right when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Charlie was at the end of the tiled hall waving them back. “You aren’t going to puke when you see the body are you?”

“I didn’t puke at the crime scene,” Nikki said a little defensively. “It’s not like I haven’t seen dead bodies before.” She left out the fact that she was the one who found her mother.

Nora held up a hand. “I was just going to give you a few pointers to deal with the nausea. That’s all.”

Nikki noticed that Nora was polishing off her breakfast as she spoke. Apparently nausea wasn’t something she was concerned with. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

They got to their feet and made their way down the hall. Nora tossed her bag in the trash as they entered Charlie’s lab. Delana Archer was splayed out in gruesome autopsied glory. Nora heard Nikki make a tiny sound in the back of her throat but she didn’t look at her. “Find something interesting?”

Charlie handed her a file which the detective immediately flipped open after setting down her coffee. Nikki looked over her shoulder at the report, using that as an excuse to look at anything but the body.

“Lots of fibers and a few hairs on the deceased. I sent them on their merry way to the lab. Hopefully they’ll have something for you gals shortly.” Charlie eased around the autopsy table and lifted up one of Delana Archer’s hands. “No defensive wounds. She didn’t even struggle.”

“Drugged?” Nikki guessed.

“Seems like a safe bet. We should have the tox screen results by the end of the day. Whatever he doped her with it left her a zombie. She didn’t fight back when he beat her, raped her, or stabbed her to death.”

Nikki winced. “That certainly says something about his personality.” Her eyes darted to the remains of Delana Archer’s face then her gaze skittered away again. She swallowed. She was not going to get sick, damn it. She tried to be casual about wiping her clammy palms on the side of her jeans. Shallow breaths seemed to be doing little to ward off the scent of death that hung heavy in the room along with the cloying odor of blood and sawed bone. She swallowed again, aware that Nora was eyeing her. “Anything else?”

“Her personal effects. Her wedding and engagement ring are in there.”

Nora’s eyes narrowed. “You say that like that’s unusual.”

Charlie grinned and lifted Archer’s left hand for the detectives to inspect. “Check out the tan lines.”

Nikki held her breath and leaned in, doing her level best not to stare at the now cavernous opening in the middle of Delana Archer’s chest a few feet below her chin. Jesus. Couldn’t Charlie have covered her up before they got there? She squinted then touched the hand and tilted it to have a better look. On Archer’s ring finger there were two faded bands of white. But on the middle finger there was a glaring one. She looked up at Charlie. “Good catch.”

He seemed to preen. When Nikki stepped back he grabbed the end of the sheet and lifted it up over the body. Nikki almost kissed him when she felt the tension in her muscles ease.

“Time of death?” Nora asked.

“Sunday night. Somewhere between midnight and three am. Bastard tried to mess me up with the heat but I’m pretty damn sure I’m close. And apparently he slipped on her wedding band and engagement ring when morbidity was beginning based of the scrapes around her knuckle.” He waggled his fingers. “There wasn’t a lot of flexibility at that point.”

“Thanks, Charlie.” Nora waved the folder at him then motioned with a jerk of her head for Nikki to follow her.

They left, walking down the hall in silence. Once they reached the empty lobby Nikki felt a hand on her shoulder pushing her gently, but firmly, down on to the sofa. “What…?”

“Just sit a minute,” Nora told her. She went to the vending machines and dropped a few coins in. She chose a Diet Coke then took her purchase back to Nikki. “Put it on the back of your neck for a minute. Then sip it – slowly.”

“I don’t…” Nikki started to protest then fell silent when Nora unexpectedly sank to her knees in front of her.

“Nikki,” Nora said softly. “This isn’t me judging you. It’s me looking after my partner.” She handed the other woman the can and was relieved when Nikki accepted it and did what she was told.

“You were testing me,” Nikki guessed. “Charlie left the sheet off on purpose.”

“He does that whenever there’s a new face in the squad. Don’t take it personally. Archer is a tough case to look at. Believe me I would know. You impressed him. Me, too.”

The praise warmed Nikki unexpectedly. It looked like she was making some inroads with Nora after all. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Warning you wouldn’t have mattered. There are no words that will ever adequately describe a scene like that, especially when you know the victim.”

Reluctantly Nikki admitted her partner was right. About the body and the soda which was making her now pounding headache ease back to a more manageable pain level. She quirked her lips to let Nora know she wasn’t mad, struck by how green her partner’s eyes were.

Nora patted her once on the knee, her touch lingering. “Let me know when you’re ready to roll. I’ve got a call to make.”

Nikki started to protest again but decided to merely nod instead as she popped open the drink and took a tiny sip. She watched as Nora stood and moved away feeling a little proud of herself.

****

“Really,” Dan drawled.

Nora leaned back against the sun warmed brick on the outside of the coroner’s office. She shifted her cell phone to her other ear. “She held it together like a pro,” Nora informed him. “I owe you dinner.”

Her former partner chuckled. “She didn’t even turn green?”

Nora hesitated. “Nope. Didn’t bat an eyelash.”

“Yes,” Dan chortled. “I’ll want something expensive.”

“Then I’m bringing Nikki along. She can pay for it.” Nora smiled as she slipped her sunglasses on against the morning glare.

“Sounds like you’re warming up to the idea of you two being partners. I’m sensing yet another free dinner in my future.”

“Maybe,” she allowed but she was still smiling. She was relieved at the way Nikki had handled herself back there. No girly shrieking. No hurling in the nearest trash can. Nikki had been affected, but she’d sucked it up and done her job. That spoke a lot to the woman’s character.

A door opened to Nora’s left and the detective watched as Nikki stepped outside. The sun hit her dark hair, bringing out surprising auburn highlights that were like streaks of fire through the other woman’s locks. Nora had to admit her new partner was a looker. Especially when she turned those chocolate brown eyes on you.

Which Nikki suddenly did. The taller detective tipped the open soda in her hand in Nora’s direction but stayed a discreet distance away, allowing her to finish her call in private.

In that moment something clicked. This was going to work, Nora realized. The two of them were going to work. “Thanks, Dan.”

“For what?” he asked, no doubt mentally backtracking over the conversation to figure out what she was talking about.

“I’ll tell you later.” She hung up and pocketed the phone in her leather jacket.

Nikki came closer and held up a new folder. “One of the lab boys caught me. Tox screen is back already.”

“Really? Score one for us. Anything interesting?”

“She was loaded on GHB.”

“The date rape drug,” Nora said through clenched teeth. “The bastard wanted someone who wouldn’t fight back. Got off on it.”

Nikki made an agreeing noise. “You know I’ve been thinking. Delana Archer was skittish. She jumped when touched. What if we’re dealing with an abuse victim?”

Nora leaned against the wall with her shoulder. “Any of your high society sources give you that?”

“No,” she allowed. “Unless I’m the high society source.”

“Well you’re certainly mine,” Nora said with a chuckle.

Nikki grinned rather liking that notion. “I never saw any bruises on her,” she said sobering some as she spoke. “But that doesn’t mean they weren’t there.”

“Her killer didn’t want any trouble from her. He wanted a dishrag. Something to use and dispose of.” Nora nibbled on the edge of her thumbnail. “If the husband was abusing her…”

“Yeah,” Nikki said softly. She slipped her Ray-Bans on. “Delana didn’t have many friends. We can talk to the few she did but I doubt they’ll give us much. Maybe we should focus on the girlfriend, if we can find her.”

Nora considered the list of interviews they had set up for the day. The first was thirty minutes from now with the victim’s sister. “Let’s chat with the sister. Then we’ll take it from there. Cool?”

Pleasure at being asked tickled the other detective. “Cool.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see chapter one for notes.

“Tea?”

“No, thank you,” Nora replied her voice tipped with frost. At the moment she was feeling like a bull in a china shop. Surrounded by expensive and delicate things she knew she could never afford, Nora sat stiffly in a high-backed chair, worried she’d break something if she even breathed.

“I’d love some, Ms. Foster. Thank you,” Nikki said with impeccable manners. She gave Nora a look that was mildly reproachful then tried not to smile when Nora surreptitiously stuck her tongue out at her.

Delana Archer’s sister, Melanie Foster, dipped her head at the servant lingering in the doorway. She left, obviously going to fetch the requested refreshment.

Foster seemed poised and not at all upset about the murder of her sister. Slightly older than Delana, her hair was pulled up into an austere bun of platinum blonde with a few carefully placed tendrils framing her hawkish face. Her eyes were a steely blue and were fastened only on Nikki, the considerably better dressed of the two detectives, having discarded Nora as a mere public servant from the moment she walked in.

“Ms. Foster,” Nikki began, sensing that Nora had decided to let her lead on this one. “We are so very sorry about Delana. I met her at some of the functions at Progressive House. She was a very sweet woman.”

Foster’s eyes zeroed in on Nikki with even greater intensity. “You’ve been to Progressive House?” Her tone indicated how unlikely she thought that was.

“One of my father’s pet projects.”

“Arthur Beaumont is your daddy?” Foster’s voice warmed and lilted with surprise.

Nora rolled her eyes but no one noticed.

“Yes, ma’am. He sends his regards.”

“What is the daughter of Arthur Beaumont doing gallivanting around with the police?” Foster asked, genuinely curious.

“Hopefully solving your sister’s murder,” Nikki said simply.

Nora bit her lip, liking that response immensely.

Foster pursed her lips then nodded. “Delana and I weren’t close. Not since she married… Richard.” The name was said with a sneer. “He seemed fine at first but then he didn’t want Del talking to her family or friends anymore. She went from being a vibrant woman to a shell of her former self. Honestly, detectives,” she said as her gaze darted to Nora. “I feel like my sister died a long time ago.”

“Do you think he was abusing her?” Nora asked as the servant returned with a tray. Delicate china cups rested on the surface along with a blue and white floral patterned teapot. The maid handed her a cup and Nora gingerly accepted it.

Nikki tried not to laugh. Her partner was acting like she’d just been handed a scorpion instead of weak tea.

“I never saw anything to indicate that,” Foster admitted as she took her saucer and cup. “Thank you, Evelyn.”

“Yes, miss,” the maid said as she left the room.

Nora gave Foster points for at least being gracious.

Nikki politely sipped her tea and waited.

“But I had a feeling,” Foster finally continued. “I pressed her about it but she insisted she was fine. I knew she wasn’t. I should have tried harder.” Her voice had grown quieter.

Even the rich aren’t immune to murder, Nora reminded herself of Nikki’s words. “Ms. Foster, do you know if Delana was having an affair?”

Those steely eyes fixed on the other detective. “What makes you ask?”

“We’re just following any possible avenues on this. As you know, her husband was out of town on a business trip.”

“I’m well aware. He’s made sure everyone in Del’s circle knew that.”

Shoring up his alibi, Nora considered.

“I doubt it,” Foster replied getting back to Nora’s question. “But if she did… well damn good for her.”

Nikki smiled. “Was there anyone that she was close to? Maybe a… female friend she would have confided in?”

“Tracy Pettit. She seemed to be the only one who could get close to Del in the end.” For a second Foster’s voice quavered. She took a sip of her tea and straightened herself perceptively. “She’s…” Her eyes darted to Nora. “A community activist. Very… strident… in her approach. I found her quite abrasive but my sister… my sister seemed to find her fascinating.”

Bingo, Nora mentally shouted.

“When was the last time you saw your sister?” Nikki asked. She felt Nora stir to her left and suspected her partner now had what she needed from the conversation and wanted the interview over.

“Two weeks ago.”

“Did she mention anything about going on vacation with her husband?”

Foster laughed, a bitter, husky sound influenced by too many cigarettes. “Del and Richard haven’t been on vacation together in six years. I suppose anything is possible but that would surprise me.”

“One last thing,” Nikki asked as Nora stood.

“Of course.”

“You call your sister Del. Did Richard?”

Nora went still at the question.

“Gracious no. He hated that nickname. Her own family wasn’t allowed to use it when he was around.”

“Thank you, Ms. Foster,” Nikki said as she finished her tea and set the cup down.

“Detectives?” Foster asked when Nikki got to her feet. “Do you think it’s Richard?”

Nora knew why the woman was asking and she felt a touch of pity for her. “He has an alibi, Ms. Foster.”

“Doesn’t mean he didn’t hire someone, though. Does it?” She turned her head, signaling the interview was over.

****

“What?” Nikki asked as they walked down the sidewalk. Nora was giving her a sideways look that made her self-conscious.

“The ‘Del’ thing. What made you ask that?”

Nikki shrugged as they reached the El Camino. She loved Nora’s classic car and hoped her partner would let her drive it at some point. It did, however, look very out of place in the Garden District alongside the BMWs and Mercedes lining the street. “I don’t know. Something about the way Archer was using it. It just seemed…”

“Deliberate,” Nora suggested as she slipped behind the wheel. Now that she thought about it she could see Nikki’s point. She waited till Nikki was in the passenger seat before starting the car.

“Yeah. Deliberate. I asked my daddy about it. He said he’d never heard anyone call her Del, especially not Richard.”

“That was a good catch,” Nora admitted with frank admiration. “It went right by me.”

“That’s why you have a partner. I wouldn’t have wasted my time on the sister this morning and it looks like she’s going to lead us right to Delana’s girlfriend.”

Nora considered that. It was odd how they seemed to be balancing each other out so well after only a day and a half of working together. She pulled out and chose the fastest route back to the station. “I like the husband for this.”

“He’s a bastard but I’m not sure he actually killed her,” Nikki said quietly. “He does have an airtight alibi. Ten people were with him on the day Delana was killed.”

“Then we have to figure out who and how he hired someone to kill her.”

“Maybe the girlfriend will help,” Nikki drawled.

“You think she sought out the comfort of another woman because she was being abused?” Nora asked unexpectedly.

Nikki leaned against the passenger door and watched her partner drive. Her voice sounded cautious when she replied. “Maybe. Maybe she’s always been attracted to women and never had the chance or courage to act on it.”

Nora gave Nikki a look. “Do you know this Tracy Pettit?”

“Never heard of her,” Nikki admitted, wondering about the look she just received. “But then again I tend to leave my community activism for the job.”

“You gave at the office, huh?” Nora said with a chuckle.

“Damn right.”

****

A quick run past the station gave them all the personal info on Tracy Pettit they needed to track her down. Nikki made a quick call to Darius, asking him to meet them in an hour for lunch and to dig up everything he could on Delana Archer’s apparent lover.

“We can still do a quick interview with the Progressive House woman,” Nora suggested as they made their way back out to the parking lot.

“Stephanie Shriver,” Nikki said automatically.

“You know her?”

“Sure. She even dated my daddy for a while.” Nikki gave her a knowing wink.

“In that case,” Nora said tossing her keys at a surprised Nikki. “You drive.”

“Rock on,” Nikki said with a full-fledged grin.

Nora smiled as well as she slipped into the passenger side of the car. It felt weird. She never once let Dan drive in all their years as partners.

“Where’d you get these wheels anyway?”

“My step-dad restores cars.”

“You think he’d restore me one?”

“You want an El Camino?”

“Only if it looks as sexy as yours,” Nikki said as she threaded her way through the French Quarter. There were a fair amount of tourists jamming the streets in search of crawfish, beignets, or voodoo curses.

Nora paused. “You think my car is sexy?”

Nikki gave her a quick flirtatious look just for fun. “Meow,” she joked.

Nora didn’t know what to say to that so she said nothing at all. Nikki was proving to be rather adept at rendering her speechless.

A few moments later they were in front of a small but expensive boutique. They exited the car and Nora followed Nikki inside, getting another lungful of that nice perfume as her partner passed.

“Nikki!” A voice exclaimed from the back of the store. The shoppers who had been frowning in Nora’s direction shot the owner a startled glance then quickly averted their gazes as the taller detective was embraced by the petite shopkeeper who had all but run up to greet her.

“Gracious, child, let me look at you.” Stephanie Shriver stepped back then clucked her tongue. “Looking prettier every time I see you.”

Nikki blushed but smiled. “You’re sweet, Stephanie. I’d like to introduce my new partner, Nora Delaney. I’m with Special Crimes now.”

“So you’ll be dealing with drugs and murder instead of just drugs?” Stephanie clucked her tongue again but she shook Nora’s hand with a firm grip. “Nice to meet you, detective.”

“Likewise,” Nora said quickly.

“Come on to the back. Can I get you girls some coffee?”

“Sure,” Nora said remembering Nikki’s reproachful look at Foster’s. Her partner bumped her hip playfully as they walked and Nora’s features eased into a grin.

“Please, have a seat.” Shriver shut the door behind them as they entered the store room. Suddenly they were surrounded by silence and dresses.

Nora had to admit the other woman had taste. From what Shriver was wearing now, a flattering three piece gray suit that set off the silver in her short hair, to the evening gowns lining the racks around them, Shriver was obviously a woman who knew her trade. She had pretty small blue eyes set in an almost elfish face. She reminded Nora of a pixie.

The detectives accepted their cups of coffee, presented in plain white mugs this time rather than fine china.

“So you’re here about poor Delana Archer.” Shriver shook her head. “I always felt sorry for that girl. She was kind and she did a lot for Progressive House but I often felt she was doing the work because she had to – not because she wanted to.”

“You think someone was forcing her to do charity work?” Nora asked as she sipped her coffee. Her eyebrows elevated as she glanced down at the cup, realizing it was real Kona.

“Dick.”

Nikki and her partner exchanged amused glances. “Richard Archer?” Nikki asked for clarification.

“That’s right. Dick.” Shriver shook her head again, her long silver earrings swaying as she did so. “I detest that man. How he snows so many people I’ll never know.” She took a sip of her own coffee. “I kept telling Delana she needed to get out of that marriage. Find herself a real man. She’d just give me this vacant smile and nod politely. Used to drive me insane.”

Nora smiled. She kind of liked Shriver. The woman had money but she’d obviously held on to her senses. Just like her partner. She shot a glance at Nikki, studying the lines of her profile for a moment before looking away. She discovered Shriver eyeing her with a tiny grin on her face that inexplicably gave the detective goosebumps.

“Do you know a Tracy Pettit?” Nikki asked.

“Oh dear.” Stephanie got to her feet and moved about the small store room. “She’s attended a few events at Progressive House. She’s a passionate woman and a hell of a fund raiser…”

“But…” Nikki prompted.

“She’s just… very, what’s the term…?”

“Lesbian?” Nora offered dryly.

Shriver gave her an amused look. “Well, she is that.” Her eyes slid questioningly to Nikki who gave her a quick wink. “I was going to say a bully. She started hanging around Del. And damn it all of Del didn’t start responding to her. I felt like she was trading in one oaf for another.”

“You think there was something between them?”

“Are you asking me if they were having sex? Maybe. But that would be awful reckless for Del. And being married to Richard… maybe dangerous as well.”

“You were encouraging her to find another man,” Nora reminded her.

“Yes, one who would hopefully protect her against Richard. Tracy may be rather… butch… but I don’t think she could handle Richard in one of his full on rages.” Stephanie took another sip of her coffee then eyed Nikki over the rim. “You missed it last winter, dear, after you left the party.”

“You mean after I kneed Richard Archer in the nuts?”

“Nikki, such language,” Shriver scolded but she was wearing a wicked grin. “He trashed the lobby. Threatened you even.”

“No one told me that,” Nikki said surprised.

“Richard was drunk and your daddy put his head in the fountain to cool him off.”

Nora snorted, wishing she could have seen that. Councilman Arthur Beaumont stuffing Richard Archer’s face in a fountain would be a Kodak moment to cherish.

“Are you kidding me?” Nikki asked. “Well that sounds about like my daddy.”

“Well once Richard realized Arthur Beaumont was your daddy he shut up right quickly about hurting you. But for a few minutes there, Nikki, I was actually afraid he might.”

“I’m a cop,” Nikki reminded her.

“And he’s the devil. You watch your step, sweetheart.” Shriver’s gaze lifted to Nora again. “You ever do any modeling?”

“Excuse me?” Nora asked feeling like she’d just suffered a case of verbal whiplash.

Shriver sorted through a nearby rack then approached Nora with a flowing white gown wrapped in cellophane. She snatched the wrapping off and held it up next to Nora’s tan skin. “Goodness,” Stephanie said. “You would look lovely.”

If her suddenly dry mouth was any indication Nikki agreed. She could easily see her partner in the dress, her arms and shoulders bare, the slope of her back and a fair amount of cleavage exposed. She stared, hoping she could imprint the image onto her brain and call it up later for review.

“Um…” Nora wondered if somehow Nikki wasn’t getting her back for the incident at the morgue. She shot her partner a look only to discover that Nikki was watching her with a grin of frank admiration. Nora swallowed and willed her eyes back on Shriver. “Thank you,” she answered feeling lame. “But I don’t…”

“I’m having some women photographed for a spread in Vogue. I would love it if you would wear this.”

“Vogue?” Nora asked, her voice rising into a squeak. She cleared her throat as she set down her coffee. “Ms. Shriver…”

“I’ll give you the dress as payment.”

Nikki’s eyes almost popped out of her head. Nora took that to mean the dress was incredibly expensive. “I appreciate the offer… really… it’s just…”

“Ooo.” Stephanie thrust the dress into Nora’s hands, failing to notice that the detective held it away from her body as if it were a baby she was afraid she’d drop. Shriver went back to another rack, slipping out a barely there sapphire dress that she handed to Nikki. “Stand up, dear.”

Nikki set her own coffee down then slowly did as asked. She took a sharp breath when Stephanie handed her the dress. “Oh… I…”

“Gracious. You two would be visions. Please tell me you’ll do it.”

Nora was about to offer a more firm decline until she saw Nikki with the dress. With a plunging neckline and no back to speak of, plenty of her partner’s pale skin would be on display and the blue of the dress complimented it nicely. “Sure.” She blinked when she heard her own voice agree.

“Sure?” Nikki asked in shock. Deciding that Nora had gone temporarily insane she looked at Stephanie. “We’re cops, not models.”

“I want real women for my ads. Two of New Orleans finest will send my ad agency into a tizzy.” She clapped her hands in delight. “Could you be available next Tuesday? We could shoot in the evening. Perhaps around 8:00?”

Nora continued to blink stupidly, realizing what she’d just agreed to do… and why. It was the why that was making her stomach flip-flop. She took a breath, feeling like the air in the room was suddenly in short supply.

“We’ll… have to clear it… with our captain,” Nikki said slowly. She handed the dress back to Stephanie and watched as the older woman took the gown from Nora’s unresisting fingers. Her partner looked absolutely shell-shocked.

They said their goodbyes and wandered back to the car, climbing in with dazed expressions. Nikki started the engine then swiveled in her seat to look at Nora.

“I don’t know,” Nora said quickly, not wanting to look at Nikki until she could process the odd urge that had come over her. “I must have been high from the Kona.”

Nikki’s lips twitched. “That’s a nineteen thousand dollar dress.”

So much for not looking at her, Nora thought as her head whipped around. “Are you shitting me?”

“She designs them, Nora. That was a Shriver original. She must have liked you.”

“I’m not a model,” Nora replied plaintively. “I’m five six. I have no business modeling in freaking Vogue!”

Nikki smiled, surprised to find Nora was clueless as to how attractive she was. The way Nora carried herself with such confidence… she’d just assumed the woman knew she looked good. Apparently that confidence came from something deeper and Nikki had to admit that made the other woman that much more appealing.

“I mean…” Nora pointed at her. “You’re the fashion plate.”

Nikki’s smile got wider. “You really will look like a million bucks in that dress,” she said in a softer, gentler voice.

Nora stared at her, aware that her heart was beating faster than it needed to be. “Nineteen thousand bucks at least,” she muttered. “God, Dan is going to have a field day with this.”

****

A half hour later Dan stood up from the corner of his desk and walked to his window, using the precious few moments to get the shit-eating grin out of his system. “A photo shoot, huh?”

Nora ran her hand through her hair as she eyed his back warily. “Look, all you have to do is say no and we can…”

“Sure.”

That word was getting them in a lot of trouble today. Nikki’s eyebrows elevated but she didn’t say anything. They’d returned to the station to pick up a few things before meeting Darius for lunch. Nora had insisted that they tell Dan about Shriver’s offer. No doubt her partner was hoping that their boss would veto the idea.

Apparently not.

“What?” Nora asked when his answer finally sunk in.

Dan turned, looking serious now. “I said sure. Why not? It could be good publicity. I’ll have to run it by the brass but I don’t see why they’d turn it down.”

Nora and Nikki exchanged quick glances before Nora took a breath and tried again. “Dan, are you sure that this is a good idea?”

The chance to see detective Nora Delaney in a Shriver original? Not to mention the fact he’d have a picture of it he could hang on his wall. “I’ll let our publicity people know. What could be the harm?” Dan allowed a little bit of a smile to show.

“You’re enjoying this,” Nikki teased.

He shrugged. “Can I get your autographs?”

Nora gave a half grunt, half growl as she abruptly got to her feet and left the office.

Nikki bit her lip. “We will take a lot of heat from the other guys in the squad,” she admitted. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be posing for Vogue while Delana Archer’s killer is still on the loose.”

Dan crossed his arms as he watched his former partner stalk out to her desk. “You’ll survive it,” he said mildly. “And we could use some positive PR.” He shifted his focus to Nikki. “As for the Archer case… I sincerely hope for all involved that you’ll have it wrapped up by then.”

“Right.” Nikki stood and headed for the door.

“Did you see the dress?” Dan asked her before Nikki could open the door.

It was an odd question and Nikki found herself reacting strangely to it. “Excuse me?”

“The dress she’s going to wear. Did you see it?”

“Yeah,” Nikki answered slowly.

“How will she look?” He tried to keep his voice casual.

Nikki swallowed as her gaze cut back to Nora. “She’ll look… beautiful,” she confessed. She looked at him again, seeing him in a way she hadn’t before.

“I’m sure you will, too,” he said good-naturedly.

She gave him a tight smile before yanking open the door and heading out into the bullpen. Nora was shrugging into her leather jacket when Nikki approached. “He’s sneaky,” she said in a low voice.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Nora answered with exasperation. “Just wait till he asks you out.”

“Has he asked you?” Nikki’s voice betrayed her stirring suspicions about her superior officer. She slipped her purse over her shoulder and grabbed her jacket.

“Every freaking day we were partners.” Nora brushed past her.

Nikki watched her go before her gaze darted back to Dan’s office. Her new boss lingered in the doorway, watching Nora walk away until she was out of sight. Something about his expression made Nikki uneasy. She wasn’t sure why, Nikki only knew she didn’t like him looking at her partner like that.

Feeling oddly disgruntled, Nikki slipped on her sunglasses and followed Nora out of the squad room, back out into the harsh daylight of another sunny New Orleans afternoon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see chapter one for notes.

The detectives swung by a small deli near the station to pick up some muffulettas and pasta salad. By the time they reached Louis Armstrong Park, the sun made leaving the jackets in the car a necessity. It beat down on their shoulders, warming them pleasantly, as they walked side by side, comfortable in the silence between them as if they were old friends.

Darius was ahead and waiting, sitting on a park bench, tossing pieces of bread to the gathering pigeons. Cooing and pecking, the birds only took flight at the last possible moment, parting for the detectives seconds before they sat.

“Darius, my man,” Nikki said by way of greeting. She tossed him a bag and he caught it one-handed.

“You know how to treat me right,” he said when he peeked inside. “My favorite.”

They took up residence on either side of him. Nora handed him a tall Styrofoam cup full of soda which he accepted with a wink and grin. She smiled back pleasantly surprised that she was actually happy to see him.

“So I hear y’all are gonna be models,” he drawled then batted his eyelashes innocently in Nora’s direction.

The blonde detective snorted then shook her head. “You scare me. Do you have us bugged or something?”

“Would that I could, detective. I’d happily plant one on you.” Nora shook her head at his double meaning and Darius chuckled with delight. “Can I watch?” Darius bit into sandwich then wiped at a few stray sesame seeds that clung to his bottom lip.

“No,” Nora said easily. “Bad enough I’m going to have to do this as it is.” She glanced at Nikki then away, still puzzling over her motivation for accepting Shriver’s off the wall offer. Even now she could remember the dress in Nikki’s hands, what it had looked like against her skin. She pinched the bridge of her nose and gave her head a little shake, trying to toss the enticing images away and the physical reactions those images caused. She’d wonder about all this later, when she didn’t have a killer to catch.

“Why would you want to come to a stupid photo shoot?” Nikki asked as she nibbled a French fry.

“You gonna be in a nice expensive dress?” Darius replied.

“Yeah,” Nikki said slowly.

“Is she?” Darius hooked his thumb over his shoulder at Nora who rolled her eyes in reaction.

Nikki grinned, her eyes dancing as she watched her partner. She didn’t realize her smile had softened or that Darius had noticed. “Yeah.”

Darius shook his head. “Being mighty clueless for a cop today, sugar.” He grinned when Nikki swatted him on the shoulder.

Nora smiled at their antics but her grin faltered when Nikki’s gaze lifted and met her own. Something in her chest fluttered and she coughed in reaction.

Nikki sighed dramatically before bringing the conversation back to more important matters. “So what did you find on Pettit?”

Darius licked a dab of salad dressing off his thumb. “She’s mostly into women’s causes. Works with all the pro-choice outfits in town. A couple of empowerment groups.”

“Like Progressive House,” Nikki added.

Darius nodded since his mouth was too full of meat and cheese to answer.

Nora frowned. She was vaguely aware of Progressive House but as much as the place kept coming up in conversation she was going to need to read up on it. Beyond being some sort of charity outfit for women, she didn’t know much about it.

“She’s pretty abrasive from what I hear. Very Annie Oakley.”

“Annie Oakley?” Nikki asked in confusion.

“Anything you can do I can do better,” Nora warbled in a decent singing voice. “She’s apparently got a thing about men, huh?”

“About besting them and making their manhood shrivel…” Darius laughed. “She’s had a few run-ins with your boy Archer. He did not come out on top when it came to any of them.” He looked at Nikki. “Do I need to go see Nestor today?”

“If you’re free, I’m sure he’d love the company.” Nikki took a bite of her pasta salad. “My dog,” she explained at Nora’s baffled look.

“Ah.” Nora filed that information away, intrigued. She wondered what kind of dog a woman like Nikki Beaumont would own.

“So tell us about these incidents,” Nikki prompted with a nudge to Darius’ shoulder.

“The first happened about a year ago. Apparently Archer had come to ‘fetch’ his wife from that art gallery opening… you know the one in the warehouse district last year that caused all that controversy.”

Nikki nodded while Nora kept eating.

“Apparently that’s when Delana met Ms. Pettit for the first time. This chick didn’t like what she saw with Archer and she gave him what-for. He left with his ears burning bright red as those in attendance applauded.”

“Yeesh.” Nora took a sip of her soda. “What else happened?”

“Two weeks ago there was a run-in between them at Progressive House. A couple of witnesses saw them arguing but couldn’t hear what they were saying.” Darius paused for effect. “He hit her.”

Both Nikki and Nora stopped chewing.

“You’re kidding. There wasn’t a police report.” Nora gave her partner a look.

“That’s because she hit him back. Harder.” Darius looked over at Nikki. “It’s a wonder the guy can still get it up as many times as women have kneed him in the privates.”

Nikki took off her sunglasses and perched her right elbow on the back of the bench. “Did he know Pettit was sleeping with his wife?”

Darius shrugged. “Maybe. One thing is for sure. He threatened Pettit when he left. Told her he’d make her pay.”

“Maybe he did,” Nora said. “By killing her lover.”

“His own wife?” Nikki murmured uneasily. “That’s twisted for you if that’s the motive.”

The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes, thinking over that unsettling thought. Darius finally set aside his sandwich and started fishing around in his jacket pocket. He took out a slip of paper and handed it to Nora.

“What’s this?” Nora asked.

“A list.”

The blonde detective set her soda down and opened the wrinkled piece of paper. “I can see that.” She skimmed over the six names written in precise print. “Who are these people?”

“I’ve been doing a little more digging into your boy Archer,” Darius said with a shrug. “It’s taken me to see some pretty seedy places.”

“What kind of seedy places?” Nikki asked.

“Rat-trap hotels. Brothels. But it’s not so much the locations as a person that’s got me a little wigged.”

“A person on this list?” Nora handed the paper over to Nikki.

Nikki wiped her hand on her jeans before accepting the page. She skimmed over the names.

“No. The guy’s name is Ed Castillo. He’s a foreman for one of the shipping firms Archer bought out.”

“Castillo. That sounds familiar.” Nikki frowned.

“It would. Word on the street is that he’s into some serious drug running shit.”

The details started coalescing in Nikki’s brain. “Hispanic. About six two, two hundred thirty pounds. Flame tattoos running up both arms.”

“And don’t forget the pretty teardrop with the skull inside it next to his right eye,” Darius reminded her.

“Tasteful,” Nora drawled.

“Yeah. I remember the guy,” Nikki said. “Narcotics caught him in a raid about eight months back. We suspected he was fronting drugs for someone bigger but couldn’t get the guy to flip.”

“So where is he now?” Nora wondered.

“Back on the job,” Nikki said with disgust. “The evidence disappeared. We had nothing to hold him on.”

“And you’ve tied this guy to Archer?” Nora asked Darius with surprise.

“Aside from being his employee, word on the street is that Castillo is Archer’s… fixer.”

“His hitman?” Nora shifted so she could see both her partner and Darius better. “Are you telling me…” Her gaze went to the paper in Nikki’s hands. “Is that a list of victims?!”

Nikki’s brown eyes dipped to the paper. Something cold seemed to touch the base of her spine then started a sickening crawl upward. “There are six names here, Darius.”

“That’s just the ones I’ve heard about. Who knows if there’s more?”

Nora tunneled her hands through her hair. “Jesus. You’re telling me Archer had all those people killed. That he hired Castillo to do it.”

“That’s the word.”

“Christ,” the blonde detective growled. She shot to her feet and began to pace. “What in the hell did those people do to him?”

“Some of them were… indiscretions. Most of them, actually,” Darius clarified. “But there are a few who may have gotten in the way of something Archer wanted.”

“Like a shipping firm,” Nikki said feeling a nauseous.

“Yeah. One of them… one of them simply made an enemy out of the guy. They were competitors.”

“Mangold. Thomas Mangold.” Nikki picked his name off the list. “He owned a bunch of property down by the docks. He was found stabbed to death seven months ago. I thought I recognized his name but it just clicked for me.”

“How the hell did no one ever connect six murders to Archer?” Nora demanded.

“The guy’s good. Castillo is one sick and scary sonofabitch. The two of them together make one damn disgusting but efficient team. Archer’s got some of the right people in his pocket.”

“Like cops,” Nikki said quietly.

“Like cops,” Darius agreed.

They were all quiet a moment.

“Do you think Castillo killed Delana Archer for his boss?” Nora sat back down as her brain started sifting through this new and alarming information. She’d known Archer was going to be a tough case but the stakes had just gotten a lot higher.

Darius sighed. “I’d start there.” He studied his hands.

Nora’s eyes narrowed. “What? You’ve found out something else?” It was hard to imagine how this case could get much worse.

He was impressed that she could read him so easily. “Archer has been… looking for info.”

“On what?” Nora asked.

“Not what. Who.” Darius licked his lips and turned his head to face Nikki.

The taller detective stared at him blankly for a moment. “Me?” she finally asked. “What’s he looking at me for?”

“You’ve definitely made his list, Nik. First you hit the guy where it hurts and now you’re trying to put him away for murder. You’ve not exactly left a positive impression with him.” Darius took a sip of his soda.

“Are you sure he’s just looking at Nikki?” Nora asked with concern. Her green eyes were riveted to her partner as Nikki studied the names with a frown.

“Feeling left out?” Darius drawled.

Nora shifted her gaze and it turned into a glare. “It’s one thing when he’s looking at us both. It means he’s trying to find leverage, trying to find something to make one of us throw the investigation. If his attention is solely on Nikki then it’s personal.”

“It’s personal,” Darius agreed.

“I knew the bastard recognized me,” Nikki suddenly said, her voice oddly faint. “It took a few minutes, but I saw something in his eyes.”

“He certainly remembers now. You and your dad embarrassed the hell out of him last Christmas,” Darius reminded her.

“I’m not worried,” Nikki said with easy confidence. She’d handled worse than Archer and Castillo while she was in narcotics.

“Nikki…” Nora’s voice was quiet and the slightest bit husky. She was completely unsettled by this development, more than she thought she should be. “I’m sure you can take care of yourself,” she said slowly. “But Archer might have killed his wife to get back at someone. Who’s to say he won’t go after a loved one?”

Nikki went cold. She sucked down a breath then immediately reached for her phone. Darius put a hand over hers, stopping her from making the call.

“I got associates watching your pop,” he said gently, easily discerning who she was worried about the most. “No one has been near him. There is nothing on the radar to indicate he’s in any danger.”

Nikki took a slow, measured breath. She wasn’t sure if she should be frightened or pissed. At the moment anger was winning by a landslide. “He’d have to be an idiot to go after my daddy.”

“Archer’s a lot of things… an idiot ain’t one of them. He knows he couldn’t pay off enough people to make that one go away.” Darius rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. “You just look out for you, okay, sugar?”

Nikki nodded. She still felt like she was freezing and suddenly longed for the jacket in Nora’s car. Her stomach soured with this development and she shoved the rest of her lunch back into the bag, no longer interested in eating it. Her first case in Special Crimes and she was becoming a part of it instead of solving it.

“Hey,” Nora said after a moment. “Maybe this is something we can use to our advantage. You obviously rattle the guy’s cage…”

The thought made the other detective feel mildly better. “Maybe,” Nikki conceded before taking a sip of her soda, relieved when her hand didn’t shake. She decided a swing by the gym was in order. She was in the mood to hit something.

Nora glanced at her watch. “We need to get going if we’re going to track Pettit down today.”

“Try the Arts District. She’s apparently helping out with some feminist showing at Vange’s Gallery.”

Nikki leaned over and gave Darius a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, my man.”

They were almost to the car when Nora suddenly turned back. “Forgot my drink.” She tossed Nikki the keys. “Be right back.”

Nikki nodded absently and kept walking.

As Nora approached she saw Darius watching her with a knowing smile. He handed her the cup.

“Whatcha want to say to me, sugar?”

Nora fiddled with the drink in her hands. “You really think he won’t go after her father or were you just saying that?”

“A bit of both,” Darius admitted. “But he remembers her now. She made a fool out of him. And the fact that she’s one of the primaries on this case… That will stick in his craw.”

Nora glanced over her shoulder as she watched Nikki slip inside the car. A fierce protectiveness surged inside her, making it almost hard to breathe. Damn if she was going to let Archer add Nikki’s name to that list. “You think he’ll try something.”

“Ain’t a doubt in my mind, detective.” He tossed a bite of bread to a returning pigeon. “And I’d keep an eye on Pettit, too. She’s not on Archer’s good side, either.”

Nora took her time getting back to the car. Chewing over everything Darius had told them, she almost walked right past the El Camino. With a shake of her head she slid behind the wheel. Her observant eyes noted that Nikki had slipped her jacket back on. “You okay?”

Those warm brown eyes darted to look at her and Nora felt something freefall in the pit of her stomach.

“Fine,” Nikki lied. She looked away. “Let’s just nail the son-of-a-bitch.” She almost jumped when she felt warm fingers on the back of her left hand. Her gaze jerked reflexively back to Nora’s.

“We will,” Nora promised. “But you might have to put up with me sticking kind of close until we do.”

Nikki started to protest but lapsed into silence when Nora shook her head. “Nikki… you’re my partner now. I know we’ve only known each other a handful of days, but I take that responsibility pretty damn seriously. If the roles were reversed you’d have my back. Right?”

It was the one saving grace in all this, Nikki decided. That Archer was targeting her and ignoring Nora. “Yeah,” she agreed as she felt something in her soul settle.

“Besides,” Nora drawled as she released Nikki’s hand and started the car. “I actually kind of like you, and I’d be really pissed off if something happened to you on my watch.”

A smile twitched at the corners of Nikki’s mouth. “That goes both ways,” Nikki answered. “Archer and Castillo are a lot more than we bargained for when we started this whole investigation. Just make sure you don’t get yourself hurt watching my back.”

“I can’t promise that,” Nora confessed.

Neither could she, Nikki realized as they backed out of the lot.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see chapter one for notes.

Vange’s Gallery was located just on the fringe on the Arts and Warehouse District. Nora eased the El Camino into a tight spot alongside the street before the two detectives stepped out into the mid-afternoon sun. They stared at the place, taking its measure for a moment or two. The front was plain brick, crumbling in spots. The front door had been recently painted with a new coat of stark white. Large windows framed the sides of the doorway and allowed passersby to peek in at the photographs inside.

Nora bet there was a lot of peeking if the half nude photographs she saw on display were any indication. Idly she wondered if she should charge the owners with public indecency. “Have you been here?” she asked her partner.

“Not yet. Let’s check it out.” Nikki yanked on the handle and they stepped inside.

Ceiling fans stirred the warmish air. Nikki swiped at a loose tendril of dark hair as it fell over her eyes. She approached the nearest photograph, a shot of two people intertwined in an intimate embrace. Her eyebrows elevated as she took a closer look, realizing both subjects were women. “Huh,” Nikki murmured with mild surprise.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” a voice intruded and both detectives turned toward it.

“It’s nice,” Nikki replied as she eyed the tiny woman who had appeared beside them. No more than five feet tall the newcomer had startling silver gray eyes that looked out from behind a pair of thick rimmed black glasses. Her red hair was a mop of loose curls flowing down as far as mid-ear before stopping abruptly. Her ensemble was a clashing mix of colors and styles, designed to scream ‘artist’ but instead it probably caused people to think ‘nut job’ instead.

“You the owner?” Nora asked.

“One of them. My life partner and I own the place.” She eyed them. “Are you two looking for a piece for your place? We also take on some commission work. If you’d like something taken with the both of you…”

“Oh, we’re not…” Nora shook her head rapidly then gestured at herself and Nikki. “We’re partners…”

“I figured as much, sweetie,” the woman said.

Nikki bit her lip and looked at the old wood floor, trying desperately not to giggle.

Nora jerked back her jacket to reveal her shield. “Not that kind of partners,” she explained feeling both embarrassed and very lame. “I’m detective Nora Delaney. This is detective Nikki Beaumont.” She did a double take when she realized her partner was trying not to laugh.

“My apologies, detective,” the owner replied, but she still eyed them both skeptically. “Too bad. You two make a striking couple. Amy, my partner, would love to photograph you.”

Nikki grinned shamelessly as she finally looked at Nora again. “Two offers in one day, Detective Delaney. Maybe you’re in the wrong profession.”

Nora made a face at her. “I didn’t get your name,” she said to the owner.

“Madeline Steel. So what can I do for you today?”

“Tracy Pettit,” Nikki said simply.

Madeline frowned. “What has Trace done now?”

“We just need to speak with her,” Nikki said. “She may have some information that could help us with a case we’re working on.”

The gallery owner nodded in sudden comprehension. “The Archer murder.”

“Yes.”

“She’s not back, yet. We’re expecting her in around three.” She sighed. “We didn’t want to tell her over the phone that Del was dead.”

“You knew Mrs. Archer?” Nora asked.

“Only in passing. We met at a few showings, when she would come with Tracy.” She looked at them both, frowning suddenly. “You don’t think she had something to do with Del’s death…”

Nikki eased closer to Nora. “Would that be hard to believe?”

“Very,” Steel said, her voice sounding pinched. “Tracy is a lot of things, detectives, not all of them nice, but a killer she’s not.” She watched as Nikki and Nora exchanged glances. “Tracy has been out of town. There is no way she could have harmed Del.” She turned just as a nearly six foot tall woman with a short shock of black hair walked in the room. “Oh, there you are. Trace, these women need to talk to you.”

Nora’s body tensed the instant their eyes met. She was already moving before Tracy Pettit had processed the thought to run. Without a second thought, she threw the car keys at Nikki, felt her partner turn and bolt for the front door. “Police!” She shouted as Pettit pivoted and ran.

Pettit was fast, her long legs eating up the hardwood floor as they flew through the store room then out an open garage door in the back. Nora poured on the speed, feeling her thighs burn with the effort. In the distance she heard squealing tires. Then it was all Nora could do to pull up as Pettit abruptly crashed into the side of the El Camino and flipped over the hood. Nora opted to slide over it after her, and was on her before the woman even realized what happened.

“New Orleans PD,” Nora informed her as she put a knee in Pettit’s back to keep her from resisting. “Don’t move.”

Nikki climbed out of the car and drew her sidearm, keeping it trained on the suspect.

“Way to hustle,” Nora told her with a grin.

Nikki shrugged. “I just had to drive.” She smirked though before turning her attention on Pettit, who was cursing and twisting underneath Nora’s hold on her. “Stupid move, Tracy,” she informed the struggling woman as Nora slapped handcuffs on her. “We just wanted to talk.”

“Fuck you,” Pettit wheezed. “Archer sent you. Like I won’t end up at the bottom of the delta.”

Nora hauled Pettit to her feet and slammed the woman up against the side of the car. The passing thought crossed her mind that the suspect better not have messed up her paint job. “Richard Archer? You think he paid us to kill you?”

“Just do it, bitch,” Tracy snarled. “Was it you who tried last week? Well you missed, didn’t you?”

Nikki holstered her weapon and grabbed the woman by the elbow. “We’re not here to hurt you. We’re investigating the death of Delana Archer.”

And just like that the fight went out of Tracy Pettit’s body. “What?”

“You knew Delana Archer?” Nora demanded.

“Del’s dead?” Tracy’s gaze locked on Nora’s. “But…” She shook her head. “No…”

“You said someone tried to kill you last week?” Nora prompted.

Pettit shook her head as tears slipped unchecked down her cheeks. “Last Sunday. I’ve been in Birmingham all week. Someone shot out my tire on the interstate. There’s a police report…”

Nikki walked back and leaned inside the car, picking up the radio.

“What happened to Del?” Tracy demanded.

Nora tuned out her partner as Nikki checked on Pettit’s alibi. “She was stabbed to death in her home.”

“Jesus. Oh Jesus…” Tracy shook her head then sat on the edge of the car. “Son-of-a-bitch. I didn’t think he’d… Mother fucker…”

Nora put her hands on her hips and tried to catch her breath. “Your friends didn’t tell you? The owner knew.”

“I just got back. I pulled up ten minutes ago.” Tracy jerked her head at a navy blue Jeep parked a block or so behind them.

There was a spare tire on the driver’s side of the car, Nora noted with interest. “No one called you?”

“I left my cell phone at home. No one knew where I was staying.”

“Why would Richard Archer want you dead?”

“I was fucking his wife,” Tracy snarled, an effect that was ruined when she sniffled. “Good enough reason for you?”

“I was under the impression Archer and his wife didn’t get along. That he had several affairs of his own. Why would he care?” Nora tested carefully.

“Because she wasn’t a person to him! She was a thing. A trophy wife that gave him the money and prestige he needed to get into the high life. He beat her. Raped her. I was trying to get her away from that. I was trying to give her a better life!”

“Your ultimate cause, huh?” Nikki asked when she’d finished with the radio. “Did you love her, or was it all about rescuing a damsel in distress?”

“Fuck you!” Pettit started for the taller detective, ignoring the fact she was still cuffed. Nora slammed her back against the side of the car.

“Answer her. You’ve got a reputation for being a bully, Ms. Pettit. I wonder where someone would get that idea.”

Pettit’s dark eyes regarded them both. “I don’t put up with people’s shit. I might come off as a bitch, detective, but I’m not a bully. Unless I’m trying to get some uptight, conservative dickweed to come off some of his cash for a good cause.” She gave Nikki a closer look. “I know you. You’re Arthur Beaumont’s kid.”

Nikki said nothing as she laid her arms down on the top of the door.

“So you loved Delana. Is that what you’re telling us?” Nora asked.

Tracy frowned. “No. I wasn’t there, yet. Maybe if she could have gotten away from Richard. If we could have seen what we were like out from under that shadow.” She shook her head. “But I liked her. I hated what he’d turned her into. But the woman she was under that… I liked her. There was fire in there. It had been banked, smothered, but there was still some fire in that soul.”

“There is a police report,” Nikki told her partner.

Nora nodded before reluctantly turning Pettit around to un-cuff her. As tempting as it was to run Pettit in, she really hadn’t done anything wrong except piss her off. Irritating as that was, it wasn’t illegal. Nora slipped the cuffs back into her holster, mentally prepared to deal with Pettit’s attitude. She was mildly surprised when Tracy merely turned back around and slumped against the car once more. “Richard Archer has an alibi for the time of his wife’s death,” Nora informed her, curious to see her reaction.

“Then he hired someone to kill her.”

“You seem sure of that,” Nikki said.

“You met him last Christmas, Detective,” Pettit drawled. “What do you think?”

Nikki’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t like the woman in the least and was glad they’d managed to keep from crossing paths before. “Did Del ever mention anything to you about any of Archer’s affairs?”

“Nothing directly. But she knew. The wife always knows even when they think they don’t.”

Nora had to agree with that one. “Where can we find you if we have more questions?”

Pettit fished a wallet out of her back jeans pocket. She handed Nora a card before turning her eyes to Nikki. “So Arthur Beaumont’s kid is a cop. Who knew?”

The cop in question remained silent.

“You looked mighty fine last year in that Versace number, detective,” Pettit drawled. “I especially liked the view of those long legs when you kneed him in the nuts.” The air went out of her as she was suddenly thrust back against the car with unnecessary force.

“Watch your mouth,” Nora warned in a voice laced with steel. Her hand was around Pettit’s throat but she didn’t squeeze no matter how much she wanted to. “That’s my partner you’re talking to.”

“Lucky you. Does she taste as good as she looks?”

Nikki caught Nora’s arm as the detective reared back to swing it. “Nora, she’s baiting you.” She was startled by how swiftly and completely Nora came to her defense.

The tough girl attitude was back but both detectives could see the tiny lost look in Tracy Pettit’s eyes. She wanted Nora to hit her, wanted to feel something other than the pain she was so obviously in.

“Get the hell out of here.” Nora dropped her arm, mentally kicking herself for reacting the way she had. It was out of character for her, and a tiny voice in her head wanted to examine what had set her off so severely, but she studiously ignored it.

Pettit eyed them for a string of breaths then decided not to push her luck. She shoved past Nora and went back the way she’d come.

“Charming,” Nikki drawled as she felt the tension ease from her body. “I do believe that’s a whole new level of crassness.”

“Considering the type you dealt with in narcotics, that’s saying something.” Nora turned to look at her. “You okay?”

Nikki’s lips quirked. She was charmed by Nora’s concern. “Believe me; I’ve had worse comments tossed in my direction.”

“I think in a weird way they were compliments.”

“Hmm. Thanks for defending my honor, though.” Nikki smiled when Nora predictably blushed.

“Apparently I’m not her type,” Nora said with a laugh.

“You’re too butch,” Nikki replied with a squeeze of Nora’s impressive bicep. “She likes a girly girl.”

“Butch?” Nora pretended to sound offended as she kept an eye on Pettit’s retreating figure. “Gee, thanks.”

Nikki giggled, a nice sound Nora found herself reacting to with a little laugh of her own.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Nora took the keys from her partner and slipped behind the wheel while Nikki went around and climbed in the passenger side. She gave her a partner a sideways look. “So I guess you’re a girly girl then, huh?”

“I’m a closet butch,” Nikki informed her in hushed voice. “I get all frilly on the outside but I bet I can bench press more than you.” That got Nikki a full throated laugh out of her partner.

Nora cranked the car and shook her head as she pulled out into traffic. “Why any woman would find Pettit attractive…”

“It’s the confidence thing,” Nikki answered readily. “She’s comfortable in her own skin.”

“You think someone who’s comfortable with themselves is attractive?”

“It’s an attractive trait,” Nikki clarified.

“Did you think she was pretty?”

Nikki tried not to react to what she was sure was just a casual question. “Not my type,” she said truthfully. She gave Nora a sideways glance. “You can’t imagine the two of them together,” she guessed.

Her partner shrugged. “It’s not because they’re both women,” Nora said. “It’s just… she didn’t seem like Delana’s type either.”

“Someone strong and confident? Someone who treated her with respect and came to her rescue? I think she was exactly what Delana Archer wanted and needed. Or at least she thought she did.” Nikki eyed the passing scenery as her thoughts whirled.

Nora glanced at her, feeling a sudden suspicion. “Have you…” She realized what she was about to ask and abruptly clamped her mouth shut.

A slow, devilish smile formed on Nikki’s face as she turned to look at Nora. “Were you just about to ask me if I’d ever slept with a woman?”

Nora’s face heated as she pretended to focus on driving. “Sorry. I don’t know where that question came from. Just…”

“Yes.”

Nora’s head whipped around so fast she almost clipped the back bumper of a parked car. She overcorrected and swerved into oncoming traffic just missing a trolley. She pulled into an empty space along the side of the road and slammed the car into park. “Okay,” she said slowly when her heartbeat had slowed. She risked looking at Nikki to see that her partner was still giving her a knowing grin. “You’re yanking my chain.”

Nikki shook her head. “No. I’m not.”

They stared at each other for a moment. Nora swallowed, feeling more than a little intrigued by the revelation. She blinked. “Sam… the guy Syd mentioned…”

“Sam is short for Samantha.” Nikki tried to keep breathing steadily. “Now Lee on the other hand, Lee was a guy I dated before Sam.”

“Syd thought we were…”

“Partners. Yeah.”

Nora nodded stupidly. She was aware that Nikki was watching her with a more worried expression now. “You’re…”

“Bisexual. Daddy actually prefers to call it ‘greedy.’”

Nora nodded again as she took a breath. She had other friends that were gay, but somehow this news had caught her completely off guard. She glanced at her partner again, losing herself for a long moment in Nikki’s soft brown eyes. She cleared her throat. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“You just about wrecked the car, Nora. I think it did surprise you.”

The other detective laughed and it released some of her tension. “I mean… you’re just so… free and open…” She shook her head. “It… suits you.”

Nikki tilted her head, unsure, but thinking that she’d just been paid a compliment. “Does that bother you?” she asked hesitantly.

“No,” Nora replied instantly. “No. Shit. I’m sorry. I must seem like an ass.” She looked at her again. “A closet butch, huh?”

Nikki laughed this time. “I love to shop. I love shoes. I adore my makeup. And my uncle Mike taught me to build a racecar from the tires up.”

Nora bit her lip as she watched Nikki through her bangs. Her affection for the other woman swelled a little more. Damn it if she didn’t really like her new partner. “You keep me on my toes, Beaumont.”

The taller woman let out the breath she’d been holding. She hadn’t meant to just blurt out her sexuality like that. She was relieved that Nora was okay with it. “What about you?” she teased.

“What about me what?”

“Have you ever…” Nikki gave her a half-lidded look and was rewarded with the sight of another blush crawling up Nora’s chiseled cheeks.

“No.” Nora cleared her throat. “Only steeds have checked into this stable.”

The saying made Nikki laugh and she was charmed when Nora seemed pleased by that. “You never wondered?”

Nora’s gaze unconsciously wandered over Nikki’s features. She remembered how badly she’d wanted to see Nikki in that dress. “Maybe wondered,” she said a little more seriously. “I’m sure everyone has wondered.”

Nikki was all too aware that she’d be happy to give Nora a demonstration. “You don’t know what you’re missing,” she replied, her voice playfully husky.

“So…” Nora desperately tried to come up with something to say. “What is your type?”

Dark eyebrows arched skyward. “I don’t really have one,” Nikki answered slowly. “For me it’s always been about the person.”

Nora licked her lips and nodded. “Then I can see why Pettit isn’t your type.”

“What? Because I have taste?”

The blonde detective grinned and risked another peek at her partner. “Do me a favor?”

Nikki could think of several favors she’s happily do for her partner. “Sure.”

“Don’t tell Dan.”

“Why?” Nikki asked suddenly feeling a little defensive.

“Because the horny bastard will be on us about a threesome till the end of time.”

Nikki bit her lip then burst out laughing.

“You think I’m joking,” Nora muttered but she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m serious.”

“I know. That’s why it’s so funny.” Nikki wiped her eyes. She studied Nora a moment. “If you weren’t…” She took a breath.

Nora glanced at her and their eyes met.

“You’ve got that confidence thing going on,” Nikki said as her chuckles wound down.

“And that’s an attractive trait?” Nora asked remembering Nikki’s early comment.

“Even more so because you aren’t aware of it,” Nikki admitted honestly. “If you weren’t my partner… and if you swung that way…” She playfully bumped Nora’s arm.

Nora managed a smile even though she was suddenly very short of breath. She could feel an odd tingle in her belly. Pretending she was imagining it didn’t seem to make it go away. “Thanks.” She grinned. “I don’t have to worry about you making a pass at me do I? I mean, I just got rid of that kind of partner.”

Nikki smiled, relieved that her usual forthrightness hadn’t gotten her into trouble. “You should be so lucky.”

A cell phone rang. Nora reached into her jacket to retrieve hers, realizing that her hands were actually shaking. She flipped the phone open. “Delaney,” she answered.

“It’s Darius, but pretend I’m someone else.”

Nora blinked and felt her stomach sink. “Hi… dad. What’s up?”

A chuckle. “Who’s your daddy, sugar? I thought you’d want to know word on the street is that Castillo has been hired for a job.”

“Really?” Nora said casually. “Do tell.”

Darius got decidedly more serious. “I don’t know. But my money is on Pettit. Or that pretty little lady sitting next to you at the moment.”

Nora glanced sideways at her partner who was watching her with a politely curious expression. “Well I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” she answered. “That’s good to know.”

“Keep your eye on her, Nora. I love that girl like a member of my own family. I’m trusting you to help me keep her safe.”

“You know I will, dad. I really think we should let the others in on the plans, though.”

“Nuh-uh. She’ll go all Rambo on you. Just stick close. I’ve got her on nights but you take care of her days. Got me?”

Rambo??? “Right. Okay. Well I gotta go. I’m working.”

“Love you, sweetie,” Darius joked as he disconnected.

“Love you, too,” Nora said feeling rather inane as she hung up. She looked at Nikki again who had narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“That’s the problem with cell phones. They display the number of the incoming call on the outside.” Nikki tapped the face of Nora’s phone. “What’s going on? I recognized Darius’ number.”

Nora swore inwardly. Her partner really was damn observant. “Nikki…”

“Just tell me.”

“Darius said you’d go all Rambo on me.”

Nikki leaned back. “Rambo? I’m so going to kick his ass for that.”

The blonde detective merely gave her a pointed look.

Nikki ignored it. “What did he learn?”

“Word on the street is that Castillo’s been hired for a hit.”

“Mine?” Nikki asked calmly.

“Or Pettit. We’ll need to put a protective detail on her.” Nora gazed at her worriedly. “Nikki, I appreciate that you’re a cop, and from what I’ve seen so far a damn good one. But we may be dealing with a man who has killed seven people. I don’t want to mess around on this.”

“I can take care of myself,” Nikki said defensively. Tendrils of fear were squirming through her, though. She thought of Delana Archer’s autopsied body in the morgue and tried not to shiver.

“I know that. But you don’t have to do it alone.”

Nikki blinked then took a breath. Nora was very different than her last partner who had insisted on being top dog and had often smothered her with his over protectiveness. “He may not be after me,” she said in a more subdued voice.

“I’m not going to take that chance.”

How could she say no to those damn jade eyes? Nikki sighed. “Fine. But we don’t tell Dan.”

Nora started to protest.

“He’ll pull us from the case, Nora. At least me anyway. Then Archer will still have gotten what he wanted.”

The blonde slumped back into her seat and ran her hands through her hair. She didn’t like it but she understood it. “All right,” she agreed reluctantly. “But if things start getting hairy… if we know for sure you’re the one in his sights…”

“I can live with that,” Nikki murmured. She only hoped that wouldn’t turn out to be the most ironic thing she ever said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see chapter one for notes.

_So this is Progressive House. _Nora stood in the lobby, her head tipped back to take in the winding wrought iron staircase twisting its way up three floors. There was thoroughly waxed cherry wood under her feet and sunny, sand colored walls around her. She could hear doors opening and closing above. The rise and fall of women’s voices as the residents came and went.__

The detective stuffed her hands in her pockets and rocked on the balls of her feet. Nikki was in the administrative office, located behind the heavy oak door to the immediate left of the entrance. It had probably once been a parlor. Or an atrium. Or whatever rich people who lived in ridiculously ginormous mansions called a room that was to the left of the front door…

Nora sighed and rolled her neck. It popped loud enough to make her wince and she had a passing moment to curse Tracy Pettit’s name. If she had to make a trip to the chiropractor because of that…

The door opened and Nora’s train of thought derailed as Nikki emerged. The taller detective gave whoever was inside a wave before closing the door behind her. She gave her partner a grin.

“Aren’t they going to let us look around?” Nora asked in a slightly miffed tone. She relaxed when Nikki held up a master key. “Oh.”

“Oh ye of little faith.” Nikki motioned with a jerk of her head for Nora to follow. They passed through a set of locked double doors before starting down a long, red carpeted hallway.

“This place is huge.” Nora glanced at the portraits lining the wood paneled walls. Most of them were women. She didn’t recognize a single name on the nameplates and finally skipped reading them all together, until she reached the end of the hallway. She came to an abrupt stop, struck by the image of a beautiful brunette with warm coffee eyes and chiseled cheekbones.

“You’re good,” Nikki drawled when she saw what her partner was looking at. She stepped up next to the portrait and the similarities became even more glaringly obvious.

Nora looked at the name. Virginia Beaumont. Nikki’s mother’s name had been Virginia. Why was that so damn fitting? “Your mom?” she asked unnecessarily.

“Yeah,” Nikki said softly. She gave the frame a nudge, straightening it a fraction. “She was pretty actively involved.”

Nora finally bit the bullet. “Okay. What exactly is this place?”

Nikki gave her a reproachful look, but there was glint of amusement in her eyes. “Took you long enough to ask. I’m surprised you didn’t look it up on the internet.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Hmm.” Nikki threaded her arm through her partner’s and gave her a gentle tug. “My mom had this best friend when she was growing up, Isabelle Lively. She married into a pretty wealthy family, but her husband… he beat her. No matter what mom did, she couldn’t get Izzie to leave. She thought she had no where to go. And when you think about it, she really didn’t. Not then.”

Nora canted her head so she could watch the face of her slightly taller partner. Nikki’s warmth felt good in the overly air conditioned hallway. Again she was struck by how oddly at ease they were with each other. Normally she hated people who took this kind of liberty with her person, but none of her normal defenses came up with Nikki. “So it’s a battered women’s shelter?”

“Not exactly.” Reluctantly, Nikki turned Nora loose so she could unlock another door. She held it open while Nora walked past her. A moment later they were inside a decent sized personal theater. There were enough chairs to seat about fifty people and a small stage at the front. Gold gilded accents stood out in sharp relief against the red velvet on the walls. “It’s an empowerment center. It serves as a place for these women to go, but it also teaches them to be stronger. Progressive House offers classes in everything from business to computers. I even teach self defense courses here on Saturdays.”

They passed through the theater and through another set of doors leading to a gym. Several women were working out with punching bags. Nora watched, impressed, as an instructor worked the women through a series of kickboxing routines. She glanced at Nikki again as her partner eyed the goings on with a distinct look of pride on her features.

“How many of these women go back to their abusers?”

Nikki turned her head and looked at her. “Three out of ten.”

Nora’s eyebrows shot skyward. “That’s a pretty damn good average.”

Nikki made a noncommittal noise.

“How many have been hurt by their husbands or boyfriends after going through all this?”

“Three,” Nikki said quietly. “But we’ve had seven put their abusers in the hospital when they tried something.”

“How ironic,” Nora murmured after watching the women for a few silent moments.

“What?”

“All those years Delana Archer raised money for this place and never used it for herself.”

Nikki swallowed hard and was surprised when she felt the burn of tears. “She wasn’t ready. None of this,” she said softly. “None of this works if the woman isn’t ready.”

“What happened to Isabelle?” Nora asked gently.

“Her husband killed her. She turned up four months later… a floater in Lake Pontchartain.”

“Nikki!” The instructor finally noticed the two women and came jogging over. She was only about five foot two with her red hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. She was pretty, even without makeup, and Nora was impressed with the cut of the twenty- something year-old’s arms.

Nikki smiled. “Hey, Cat. How’s it going?”

“Not bad. We got a kickass group in here today,” Cat replied loudly enough for the women to overhear. Her gaze turned to Nora appraisingly. “Cat Sullivan,” she introduced herself. “You must be Nora.”

“Nice to meet you,” Nora replied as she returned the firm handshake with one of her own. She gave Nikki a questioning look.

“Cat pretty much runs this place. I mentioned that we’d probably be stopping by.”

Cat dabbed at the sweat on her face with the towel draped around her neck. “You give her the tour?”

“Some of it,” Nikki answered as she and Nora followed Cat across the gym to a small set of benches. Cat dropped her towel onto a gym bag and picked up a bottle of water.

“So,” Cat said after she taken a few swallows. “You wanted to talk to me about Delana Archer and Tracy Pettit.”

Nora sat on the bench, glad to be off her feet. “What was your impression of each of them?” She shifted to the left a hair when Nikki joined her.

The shorter woman took another drag on her water bottle as she considered her reply. “I knew Archer was an abuse victim. You don’t do this as long as I have without seeing the signs. I tried to talk to her. Tried to get her into the program. It was so weird that she worked so hard to raise money for the place she needed most and then never used it.”

“Do you think Archer’s husband forced her to do it? That maybe it was some sort of sick joke for him?” Nora asked.

Cat frowned. “I never thought of that. It wouldn’t surprise me, though.”

“What about Pettit?” Nikki asked.

“Tracy Pettit. Yeah…” Cat sat on the bench. “She’s…” She shook her head. “She’s a hell of a fundraiser.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ here,” Nikki prompted.

“A pretty big one, actually. I think Tracy takes advantage of some of these women.”

Nora leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “You think she preys on some of them? Uses Progressive House as her own little…”

“Dating pool? Yeah, I do. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel for her. Some of these women are very vulnerable, and Tracy knows all the right things to say to them. In some cases I think she’s even been good for a few of the women, but that still doesn’t make what she’s doing right.”

“I knew I didn’t like that girl,” Nora growled.

Nikki shifted so she was facing Cat better, her shoulder brushing up against her partner’s. “What about Richard Archer?”

“Richard.” Cat shook her head. “I hate to admit this but I slept with the guy.” She held up a hand when she saw Nikki and Nora’s looks. “Before he met Delana. Actually I think the two were dating at the time, but I didn’t know about it till afterward.”

“What did you see in the guy?” Nikki demanded.

“He’s good looking. A little like Richard Gere. Charming when he wants to be. And I was younger and stupider back then. Like you never knocked boots with a loser?” Cat rallied.

Nikki glanced at Nora and was mildly bemused when she caught her partner staring at her with a rather speculative expression. “What?”

Nora shook her head. “So why break it off with him? Did he hit you?”

“Hell no. I was a pretty physical person even then. I might be short but I’m feisty. I think that’s why he left me. He doesn’t like strong women. Maybe for a quick roll in the hay but that’s it.” Cat sighed. “He was awesome in the sack. I’ll give him that, but as a person?” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t see what a jackass he was.”

“He’s fooled a lot of people,” Nikki said.

“Yeah. Makes me sick to think I slept with the kind of man that puts women like these in here, though.” Cat stood.

“We heard Pettit and Archer got into it.”

The instructor looked down at Nora. “They did. At a fundraiser several weeks ago. Tracy said something to him and he hit her. Hard. I mean he punched her right in front of God and everybody.”

“And what did she do?” Nikki asked.

“After she spit out a tooth and a mouthful of blood, she grabbed hold of his crown jewels and squeezed. Never in my life have I heard a man make a sound like that.” Cat’s features relaxed into a tiny grin. “Then once Archer was on his knees she head butted the bastard. I don’t think she broke his nose, but she sure bloodied it.”

“Sounds like she embarrassed the hell out of him,” Nora commented in a low voice.

“Whatever she said to him first did that,” Cat replied. “She really pissed him off.”

****

Half an hour later the two detectives stepped back out into the late afternoon sun. Both slipped on their sunglasses as they made their way to the El Camino parked at the curb. They would be off duty in another hour, but Nora was reluctant to let the day go. She peered over the roof at her partner. “You got plans tonight?”

Nikki gave her a startled glance. “Why?”

“I was thinking about taking a stroll down by the docks.”

“Hmm. Looking for a hitman, maybe?”

“Maybe.”

“Dan will have our heads.”

“Only if he finds out. I just want to get a bead on Castillo. Maybe get a head start with him for tomorrow.”

Nikki drummed the fingers of her right hand on the sun-warmed roof of the car. “Sounds like my idea of fun.”

“Mine, too,” Nora agreed.

They slid inside the car and shut the doors.

“We need to get out more,” Nikki joked.

****

“Three o’clock, heads up.”

Nora casually glanced to her right. The sun was past setting and was now only a fiery red sliver on the horizon. Around them dock workers were clocking out for the day, another shift taking their place. The pervasive scent of fish and diesel clung to the air along with the smell of the muddy Mississippi rolling by a few hundred yards away. Nora squinted, her eyes skimming the sea of humanity walking their way. Finally a small group passed in front of the headlights of a forklift. The flame tattoos Darius had mentioned stood out just like he said they would.

“Tacky,” Nikki drawled.

“You think tattoos are tacky?” Nora asked, wondering if she should be offended.

“Not yours. Yours are gorgeous. Those are so overdone. I mean flames. Come on. Think of something original.”

Her tattoos were gorgeous? Nora had to shake her head to get it back in the game. “He’s a big guy,” she murmured.

“Yep. Looks like his muscles swallowed his neck.”

Nora snorted. “Do we chat him up tonight?”

Nikki considered. “Let’s see where he goes. I’d rather get him away from that crowd around him at the moment.”

Nora had to agree. The company Ed Castillo was keeping looked about as friendly as he did. They watched him wander over to an old, beat up Harley. Moments later he was roaring out of the parking lot. Nora shifted the El Camino into gear and followed at a discrete distance.

“Maybe he’s on his way to my place to whack me,” Nikki joked.

“That’s not funny.”

Nikki leaned back in her seat and studied her partner in the glow of the dashboard lights. After a few silent minutes passed she decided a little conversation was in order. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Oh boy, Nora thought. “Sure,” she answered slowly.

“You and Dan. Did you ever…” Nikki waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Uh… no.” Nora kept her eyes glued on the taillights of Castillo’s Harley.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Why not?”

“Why not?”

“He’s gorgeous and he’s obviously interested. I just thought maybe you two had…” Nikki grinned when she detected the blush creeping up Nora’s neck.

“No,” Nora said a little more firmly. “I don’t date other cops.”

Nikki blinked when she felt a pang deep in her chest at Nora’s words. She took a breath and ignored it. “You’ve never dated another cop?”

“The rule is in place now because of a stupid mistake I made not long after I graduated from the academy.” Nora frowned as Castillo made a right turn. He was headed for a section of town populated by chic restaurants and hard to get into clubs. He obviously wasn’t headed home.

“Now that sounds like a good stakeout story,” Nikki drawled. She glanced around, noticing their surroundings. “Where in the hell is he going?”

“That’s what I was wondering.” Nora made another turn. “You think he’s meeting someone?”

“Well he’s not getting into one of these places without going home and washing the dock smell off him.” Nikki’s nose wrinkled.

Just them Castillo pulled over in front of a small, closed coffee shop. He parked the bike and hopped off before heading into the alley next door, apparently not seeing his tail slide into a space two stores back.

“What is he up to?” Nikki murmured. She shot a look at Nora. By silent agreement they both got out of the car.

Nora took the lead as he maneuvered through the shadows. Music was blaring all around them, the sounds of steel drums from one establishment blending rudely with the thumping of heavy bass and the blare of trumpets from another. Communicating was going to be out of the question. For a second she thought of turning back, but Castillo could have her partner in his sights and the thought was enough to keep Nora moving.

They followed him for five blocks. Castillo mostly kept to dark and smelly alleys, and it was in one of them that they lost him. They were next to the last club on the street, and the bass was so loud they could feel it in the soles of their feet. A streak of lighting flickered overhead, illuminating the whole alley for one blinding moment. Nora blinked, wondering if she’d seen what she thought she had.

Her body reacted before she could decide.

The strong scent of old beer and asphalt invaded Nikki’s nose and lungs as she was thrown hard to the ground. Her palms scraped through grit as did her cheek and she felt the wet sensation of blood on all three. “Nora!”

Her partner was suddenly on top of her, covering her longer body as best as she was able.

“Stay down!”

“Get the fuck off me!” Nikki shouted back, not at all pleased. She didn’t know what had gotten into her partner but she was damn well…

The shot kicked up loose pieces of gravel inches from Nikki’s face, and she recoiled not having heard it. The heavy bass from the club had covered the sound of gunfire but somehow Nora had known.

Nora grabbed her partner by the collar of her jacket and jerked, rolling both of them behind a rusted metal dumpster. She felt the impact of the next shot striking the corner, sending out a brief shower of sparks. Anger rose up in her, smothering her initial wave of fear as she drew her weapon.

“Well shit!” Nikki growled. She drew her own weapon and took a breath, trying to steady her nerves. “You got bat ears or something?”

Nora didn’t answer. Instead she swung around the corner of the dumpster and started firing. Nikki cussed again as her partner’s shots boomed like thunder against the mostly empty dumpster. Another shot impacted the metal behind them and Nikki heard something rattle.

“He’s got armor piercing bullets!” Nikki grabbed the hem of Nora’s jacket and jerked her down as more shots punched through the dumpster and clanged around inside.

“I’m going around!” Nora motioned with her hand just in case Nikki couldn’t hear her. Her partner shook her head adamantly. “Just stay down. It’s you he’s after!”

All the more reason to do the opposite, Nikki thought sourly. She watched, helpless as Nora bolted for the other side of the alley as a hail of gunfire lit up the dingy passageway. The fear roared back. She wasn’t afraid for herself. If it was her time then it was her time. But she would be damned if she let someone take out Nora while trying to get to her.

Recklessly, Nikki stood up and started firing blindly into the mouth of the alley. When the next shot came at her she ducked, but not before she’d seen a muzzle flash from the wrought iron railing five floors up at the old hotel at the end of the alley. “Bastard,” she hissed as she unlocked her clip. Her gaze went to the other side of the alley, searching for Nora. Her partner was no where to be seen.

Was she down? Nikki felt her heartbeat arrest at the thought. “Nora!”

Only the music and another gunshot answered her. Nikki swore again as she jammed a fresh clip home. She wanted to go after Nora, but both of them running around like idiots in the dark and unable to hear one another didn’t seem like a good idea. All she could do was wait and worry. One more than the other.

****

What the hell am I doing?

The logical part of Nora’s brain kept screaming the question at her as she broke into a run around the front of the building. Castillo had to be on the fire escape at the end of the alley. It gave him the perfect angle. He’d led them right to it. Right into a nice, neat little trap. If the lightening hadn’t glinted off the muzzle of his gun… If she hadn’t been looking up…

Son-of-a-bitch.

She had to kick a door open to get access. It splintered inward, the sound muffled by the noise from the club next door. Nora couldn’t hear shots being fired but she could feel it in the base of her spine, the knowledge shivering up her nerves and making her almost jerky with panic. The smart thing to do was to call for backup. The smart thing to do was to wait him out. The smart thing to do was to not do this alone.

But he was trying to kill Nikki. She couldn’t let that happen.

It was the one thing that made sense. Protocols and procedures could all go to hell.

As she rounded the landing on the third floor she heard a shot. The report boomed down the stairwell she was in, and, for a second, she thought he was shooting at her. Nora poured on the speed, taking the steps two at a time. At least Castillo was still firing. That meant he had to have something to shoot at.

On the fifth floor, she jerked the door open and pointed her 9mm out into the empty hall. The building appeared to be vacant but undergoing renovations if the buckets, lumber and sawdust scent were any indication. She edged down the hallway, fighting the urge to run toward him. A spark hit the wall behind him. A bullet, Nora realized. A bullet from Nikki’s gun.

“Atta girl,” she said under her breath. Of course she was going to have to take care not to get shot by her own partner.

Then she heard Castillo curse as he dropped down. Faintly Nora heard the pinging of spent bullets hitting the floor. He was reloading.

No time. She flew out onto the balcony, hoping like hell Nikki didn’t shoot her. Castillo saw her shadow and looked up just as she descended on him. A swift right hook sent him toward the rusty floor of the fire escape. A kick sent his gun skittering the opposite direction.

But then Nora’s luck ran out. Castillo was on his feet too fast for her to get out of the way. His bulk slammed into her, and she hit the doorframe hard enough to make her teeth rattle. In a moment of odd detachment, she noted he reeked of the docks, just like Nikki had said he would then she was slumping to her knees as he got off a good punch to her stomach. She retched once before her survival instincts kicked in again and she rolled on to her back, bringing her knees in and kicking at his shins. He howled in pain and stumbled back into the hallway.

Nora held up her gun and identified herself as a police officer. She’d barely finished speaking when a bucket nailed her in the arm and her sidearm dropped with a clang onto the fire escape. A bullet punched through the brick near her head and she dove for both cover and her weapon, feeling rather than seeing Castillo bearing down on her.

“Gonna kill you, bitch,” Castillo snarled as he slammed Nora’s face into the rusty flaking metal under foot. “Then I’m gonna have some fun with your partner. Just like I had with Delana Archer.”

Nora went still when she felt the cold muzzle of his .357 press against her temple. Then he pulled the trigger.

Nora’s whole body jerked as the gun fired.

And clicked impotently.

She yelled in a rage and shoved him back, twisting around until she could deliver a brutal kick to his manhood. He screamed and fell away from her. Rather than go for his gun, she went for hers, scooping it up and pivoting back to face him. He was already coming at her, a murderous look in his eyes.

“Police officer. Stop or I’ll shoot,” she screamed over the music.

He didn’t stop.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see chapter one for notes.

Nikki heard three small pops in rapid succession over the pounding base. She reared up again, fully expecting to get her head blown off for her trouble. Instead she watched, stunned, as a figure hit the fire escape railing…

…and toppled over.

“Nora!” Her partner’s name sounded like it was torn from her throat as Nikki surged upward, her body tensing in expectation of bullet impacts that never came. Heedless of the danger, she sprinted forward, not even registering that no one was shooting at her now. She kept her gun trained on the mangled shape a few feet in front of her. Another flicker of lightning revealed flame tattoos running up muscular arms, and Nikki almost sagged in relief. Castillo had missed the trash below him almost completely. Had he managed to land in the thick of it perhaps he wouldn’t have broken so damn many bones.

There was a lot of blood and other fluids Nikki didn’t want to examine too closely. She swallowed and looked away for a moment, gathering her thoughts and steeling her stomach before she waded into the cardboard boxes and extra trash bags. Nikki grabbed his shoulder and shuddered when she felt the bones shift unnaturally before she rolled him. There were three bullet holes centered in his chest. His cold eyes stared sightlessly up at the cloud covered night sky, and Nikki spared him a wince. She suspected looking up at the heavens was as close as Ed Castillo was going to get to the pearly gates.

The clang of the fire escape ladder made Nikki twitch and she pivoted, sighting down her 9mm until she saw a familiar pair of boots and legs dangling from overhead. A second later, Nora dropped less than gracefully to the ground. Her partner hit then toppled backward, landing on her backside with a scuffling noise on the asphalt.

Nikki was moving before she realized it. She went down on one knee, her left hand, free of her weapon, cupped Nora’s chin. She could feel herself shaking, knew Nora could feel it too when her partner’s green eyes zeroed in on her with concern. “You’re hurt,” Nikki shouted as she saw the blood on Nora’s lip and oozing from cuts on her temple and jaw. She hesitantly brushed the bleeding corner of Nora’s mouth with her thumb and the blonde winced in reaction but didn’t pull away.

Nora swallowed at the touch then reached up to her temple. “Tried to surprise him! He got in some lucky hits!”

Nikki nodded once. She could think of nothing to say. There were no words for a moment like the one she found herself in. Gratitude, relief, fear… they all fought for dominance in her head and she couldn’t decide which one to yield to first. Without planning to do so, she closed the space between them, hugging Nora hard and tight before releasing her just as quickly. “Don’t ever do that again!”

Nikki clamored to her feet and offered a hand to Nora who accepted the boost up after an uncertain moment. They stared at each other as the sky opened up and it began to rain.

The music suddenly ceased, and all they could hear was their own erratic breathing and the patter of rain drops on metal and cardboard.

“You okay?” Nora inquired gently, her ears ringing a little.

“Other than you scaring me shitless, I’m fine,” Nikki said as she retrieved her cell phone from her pocket.

“I would have thought getting shot at would scare you shitless,” Nora replied as she watched her partner fumble with her phone. Nikki wasn’t reacting well at all to the situation. Her partner’s motions were jerky, and the taller woman was shaking badly. “Nikki…”

“I didn’t know where you were,” Nikki said unsteadily as she finally managed to flip open her phone. “For a second… I thought…”

“You thought I’d left you?” Nora asked hurt.

“Jesus, Nora.” Nikki glared. “No. I thought you were fucking dead.”

Her partner swore excessively when highly stressed, Nora noted but chose not to comment on. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Nora felt her energy leave her and she slumped against the wet brick of the nearest building. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off the pain was rushing in. She glanced down at her knuckles on her right hand. They were bruised and bleeding and she flexed her fingers experimentally.

Those fingers were suddenly tangled with Nikki’s, and Nora felt something electric arc between them at the touch. She sucked in a surprised breath. “He’s…” She struggled to get her mind back on the matter at hand, shocked that a simple touch could wrench her thoughts away from the man she’d just killed in self defense.

“Dead,” Nikki finished for her. “It was a clean shot.” Her nose wrinkled as the rain sizzled on the still warm asphalt and raised a cloud of trash smelling steam around them.

Nora closed her eyes, refusing to look at the dead body five feet away. She just needed a second… a moment to get her equilibrium back. “I’m sorry,” she said with her eyes still shut. “I just…” She shook her head. She’d just ignored every lesson, every protocol, she realized. All to do whatever it took to protect Nikki. Her eyes opened and she found Nikki standing less than a foot away, her brown eyes roiling with mixed emotions. The look did something to Nora’s guts.

Nora just wanted them both to feel steady. Using their still linked hands, she drew Nikki closer. “Come here,” she urged.

Nikki fell into the open arms with a shuddering breath. She clutched the phone in her hand as if her life depended on it as her arms went around Nora’s warm neck. She sank into her, needing the other woman’s solid strength, needing to feel her heartbeat close to her own, the soft feel of her breath along the back of her neck. She was okay. Nora was okay…

“Let’s get out of the rain,” Nora said after a long moment. She reluctantly leaned back but not so far as to take her out of Nikki’s arms. She looked up into her partner’s features, seeing more than raindrops dampening her cheeks. She cupped Nikki’s jaw with her right hand, her gun still dangling from her left. “We’re okay,” she promised.

“I’ve been shot at before,” Nikki said lamely. “I’ve just…”

“Never had someone trying to take you out personally? Yeah, it’s not fun.”

The music in the club began to thump once more with a slower more seductive rhythm. “It’s one thing when someone shoots at you. It’s another when they shoot at your partner.”

“Now you know why I did what I did,” Nora confessed with a tiny grin. Her thumb stroked the soft skin of Nikki’s cheek. “Call it in. I’ll check out Castillo.” Regretfully she stepped away from the heat of her partner and headed for the cooling corpse several feet away.

Nikki took a few steps to bring her under an overhang. With a shaky sigh, she pushed the first number on speed dial and started the wheels turning on what would be a very, very long night.

****

“You should have told me!” Dan slammed his hand down on his desk but both women were too tired to even flinch at the sound or his anger.

Still soaked through from their night at the Castillo crime scene, both Nikki and Nora were now slumped in chairs on the other side of Dan’s desk. Cups of steaming coffee were wrapped in the detectives’ hands as they tried to warm themselves from the inside out.

“We just found out about the other potential victims yesterday, Dan,” Nora said wearily as she watched him pace behind his desk. “We had no real reason to think…”

“You still should have made me aware,” his volume had decreased even if his anger hadn’t. “I may have a suspect in seven murders out to eliminate one of my detectives. I think that’s something I should know about. And I damn well should have known that you’d had a run-in with Archer before.” The last was said with a pointed stare at Nikki.

“Yes, sir,” Nikki said softly.

Nikki’s eyes were heavy lidded, and Nora spared a brief thought to wonder if her partner wasn’t falling asleep where she sat.

The door opened, and Georgia appeared with two blankets. “Here you go.” She handed one to each of the dripping detectives. “Can I get you guys some breakfast? I know you’ve had a long night.” She shot a glowering look at her captain.

Nora’s eyebrow rose and she stifled a smile. She didn’t hide her wink, however, when Georgia gave her one first on the way out of the room. She wrapped the blanket around herself, wincing a little as her abused stomach and back muscles protested. Castillo had gotten in several good licks before she’s finally had to shoot him. She’d wanted the son-of-a-bitch alive to nail Archer, but he hadn’t left her much choice.

Dan eyed them both for a moment then sighed. “Get out of here. Both of you. I don’t want to see either of you until nine tomorrow morning.”

“But…” both detectives started.

“That’s an order. Go get changed and get some rest. And Nora,” he glared at her when she got to her feet. “Maybe you should run by the hospital and make sure nothing is broken… like your head.”

Properly chastised she nodded once before following Nikki out of Dan’s office.

“That could have gone better,” Nikki muttered when they reached their desks. Blessedly the squad room was still mostly empty. The occasional phone rang as the rain continued to drum out a steady tempo on the roof.

“It could have been worse,” Nora informed her blithely.

Georgia reappeared. “Can I give you guys a lift home?”

Nora shook her head as she dropped the blanket onto the back of her chair. “Thanks, Georgia, I can manage.”

“Me, too,” Nikki said with a smile. “Thanks for coming to our rescue in there.”

“He yells because he cares. I caught the Castillo case so I’ll be helping you out with this one.”

“The case? Am I a murder suspect?” Nora muttered as she sat down on the edge of her desk.

“You know the drill, Nora. What I’m trying to do is find out what he was doing in that alley.”

“Trying to kill Nikki,” Nora said with a little more heat than intended. She took a breath. “Just let us know what you find.”

Georgia patted Nikki reassuringly on the shoulder. “You know I will. You two get some rest.”

They watched her retrieve her jacket and umbrella before heading back out into the dawn.

“I think I could sleep right here,” Nikki said with a yawn.

Nora was reluctant to let her partner out of her sight. “How far away do you live?”

“About half an hour. Why?”

“Then you’re coming home with me. I’m ten minutes away.”

Nikki wondered if her tongue had actually tied into a knot. “Wh… I…”

Nora raised an elegant brow. “That a problem?”

“N-n-no,” Nikki finally stammered. She shucked the blanket, no longer needing it as her heartbeat picked up and blood flushed through her. “I just…”

Nora held up a hand. “Save it. I won’t sleep unless I know you’re safe.”

“Nora,” Nikki said. “That’s really not necessary.”

“I have a huge claw foot tub with your name on it.”

That knowledge tipped the scales dramatically in Nora’s favor. “Sold,” Nikki replied with a sudden grin.

****

Cooling water bumped her nose and Nikki spluttered, jerking awake and nearly sloshing bubbles everywhere. She chuckled at herself when she realized she’d fallen asleep in Nora’s tub.

They may have only worked together for two full days, but obviously her partner knew how to bribe her. The tub was an antique, one of many judging by the looks of Nora’s place. Nikki smiled at the open rooms and French doors around her. Nora’s apartment was eclectic but seriously cool.

Candles fluttered nearby. Nora had opened the doors to the balcony to allow the scent of the rain in. The breeze stirring the flames was a bit on the cool side, but it felt nice with the heat of the bath.

At least it had when the bath had still been warm.

Nikki pulled the stopper then shivered as she emerged from the water. She grabbed the plush towel Nora had left out for her and wrapped it around herself. There was also a robe hanging on the back of the door. It was too long to belong to Nora and considering the width of it Nikki had to assume it was a man’s. She toweled off and slipped it on, sighing at how good the terrycloth felt against her skin.

She paused for a moment, listening to the popping bubbles and rain. There was no other sound coming from inside the apartment. Nikki wondered if perhaps Nora had already sacked out.

Deciding to give the place a once over while she could, Nikki started in the kitchen. She smelled something baking as she approached, the strong scent of cinnamon coming to her as she stepped inside. She peeked into the oven and noticed what appeared to be homemade biscuits rising. Her stomach growled happily at that.

Nikki closed the oven door before wandering out into the living room. Her gaze skimmed the pictures on the mantle of one of the apartment’s many fireplaces. She picked up one shot in particular and tilted it toward the light. A much younger Nora was in the middle of the photograph wearing her uniform. Behind her was an older woman that Nikki was sure had to be her partner’s mother, given the resemblance. There was a younger man to Nora’s right who was wearing a smile as wide as the Mississippi. She took in the crowd behind the threesome and deduced that she was looking at Nora’s graduation from the academy.

A noise to her right drew her attention, and she set the picture back on the mantle before moving toward it. Another set of French doors were slightly parted, and Nikki peeked inside when she heard the noise again.

A hiss of pain.

Without hesitation, Nikki stepped inside then froze. Nora was sitting on the bed with her back to her, the delicate tracing of her tattoo on full display in the candlelight along with the very large and lurid bruise marring the whole surface. Nora was struggling to get her sweater over her head and obviously failing in the face of the amount of pain it caused.

“Hey.”

Nora started then let the ends of her sweater drop. “Hey,” she said a little breathlessly as she blinked quickly, trying to hold back tears of pain. She made herself turn and hoped she’d kept the wince she wanted to display under wraps. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” Nikki said softly as she padded over. A cat leapt down from the bed, and Nikki jumped, not having seen it. It gave her legs a friendly brush as it sauntered by and headed for the kitchen. “Better than you’re feeling.”

Nora bit her lip. “You saw.”

“I saw.” Nikki gingerly sat next to her partner. “Ow.”

Nora laughed a little at that. “That’s an understatement.” She looked sideways at Nikki. “Pretty spectacular bruise, huh?”

“Quite.” Nikki reached out and put her hand on Nora’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. It was odd how at ease she was with this woman, and worrisome that she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off her. “Want some help?”

Nora licked her lips as she weighed the offer. Pride took a back seat to comfort. “Yeah. I think I would.”

Nikki relaxed as warmth spread through her at the show of trust. She shifted and slipped from the bed. “Can you get your arms up?”

Nora did as asked managing to barely grimace.

Nikki took a breath then carefully took the sides of Nora’s soaked sweater. “Fast or slow?”

“Fast.” Then Nora gasped as the sweater was suddenly gone and the cool air struck her still damp skin. She slumped sideways onto the bed as she waited for the waves of pain to subside. A blanket wrapped around her.

Nikki wanted to spoon against her, to hold her steady as she dealt with the pain, but she settled for a hand on Nora’s shoulder.

“Shit,” Nora said when the flashes of red had faded from her vision. “I’m going to knee Archer in the balls the next time I see him.”

“Easy,” Nikki murmured soothingly. “Come on. Let’s get you into that kick-ass tub of yours.”

Nora grinned, but she didn’t move, content for the moment where she was. “In a second. I have to marshal my strength first.” She felt the touch turn insistent on her shoulder and she went with it, rolling onto her back then her side as her back muscles protested.

“I know a few doctors who actually make house calls. Want me to call one?”

“No,” Nora murmured. She studied Nikki’s face in the candlelight, liking what she saw but not grasping the enormity of that fact. “Nothing is broken. Just banged up.”

“What else hurts?”

“The list of what doesn’t is shorter.”

Nikki shook her head. It was hard to watch Nora in pain, but it was worse knowing that the injuries were caused because Nora was protecting her. “Come on. You’ll feel better after a bath and some breakfast.”

“Breakfast! Shit!” Nora started to rise only to wince and collapse on the bed when her abused muscles twisted.

“Christ, Nora. Take it easy.” The blanket fell away and Nikki got a good look at her partner’s flat but very bruised abs. She winced in sympathy. “What the hell did he do to you?” she asked as she forced her gaze on the injuries and not the soaked, lacy blue bra above them.

“The guy’s got big fists,” Nora muttered as she rolled this time, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. Nikki helped her up on her feet without a word. “The back is where he slammed me into the fire escape rail. And the doorframe,” Nora panted through the slowly ebbing agony.

“Ouch.”

Nora took a shaky breath. “Ouch is right.” She stood there for a moment, corralling what was left of her ebbing energy. She watched as Nikki came closer, hearing the padding of her bare feet on the wood floor. When her partner stepped around her Nora felt her whole awareness shift. No longer blessed with the sight of the taller detective it was as if all her other senses had increased in intensity to still take her presence in.

Weird.

Then a delicate touch along a curve of her tattoo made the more seasoned detective yelp in surprise.

“Did I hurt you?” Nikki asked with concern, but she didn’t remove her fingers which rested against the too warm skin of Nora’s back. Nora’s skin was like silk over steel, her firm muscles rippling beneath the surface.

“No,” Nora said oddly breathless. “Startled me, maybe.” She missed Nikki’s smile as she dropped her head to study the injury once more.

Almost of their own will, Nikki found her fingers tracing the design. “This is nice.”

Nora blinked, wondering why it suddenly seemed so hard to breathe. “What?”

“Your tattoo. Although the most recent additions of black and blue aren’t that lovely.”

Nora took an unsteady breath feeling decidedly lightheaded. “Um… thanks,” she drawled uncertainly. Her eyes fluttered closed for a beat when Nikki’s hand skimmed up her back, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. “You… hungry?”

For more than food Nikki realized ruefully. She wondered if Nora could feel the charge between them as keenly as she could. “I could eat,” she answered lightly as Nora moved away. She watched, disappointed, as Nora slipped her own sky blue robe on and cinched the belt at her waist. With a sigh, she followed her gingerly moving partner into the kitchen.

“Nice place,” Nikki said as thunder rumbled outside.

“Thanks. I got in before they started renovating.”

Nikki had guessed as much. A place this huge was far more than a detective could afford, unless said detective had moved in before the address had risen in property value. Nora must have lived in the building when it was a real dump. Now, however, it was in a trendy section of the Warehouse District.

The cat mewed softly as she strolled into the kitchen. “Hey Reba,” Nora murmured as she opened the fridge. She pulled out a half gallon of one percent milk then retrieved a saucer.

“Reba? You don’t strike me as a country fan.” Nikki smiled as she watched Nora pour the milk. The cat, a pale yellow long-haired tabby jumped first onto a chair then up onto the breakfast bar.

Nora set the saucer down and gave the now purring beast a scratch behind the ears. “I’m not. She’s named for Reba Russell, a blues singer up in Memphis.”

“Ah.” Nikki leaned back against the bar as Nora slowly bent at the waist and opened the oven. Her partner grabbed an oven mitt then fished out the biscuits before setting them on the range to cool. “You like to cook?”

Nora answered with a one shoulder shrug. “Somewhat. Mom kind of insisted I be able to.” She gave Nikki a curious glance. “What about you?”

“I can make toast.”

“You mean you don’t have servants preparing your meals?” Nora teased lightly.

Nikki narrowed her eyes. She sensed Nora was genuinely teasing her and not taking pot shots at her background. “Only on Wednesdays and weekends,” she replied off-handedly.

“Could you grab the butter and whatever preserves you want out of the fridge?” Nora knew her partner was joking and she gave her a tiny grin in response. She began tossing the cooling biscuits into a bowl as Nikki did as asked.

“Wow. Look at all the stuff in here. I’ve got some beer and some moldy cheese in mine.” Nikki grabbed the tub of Country Crock then studied her choices in the door as Nora gingerly walked over to the table and sat. “Oh. Apple butter. I am so there.” She shot a glance over her shoulder. “That okay with you?”

“Perfect,” Nora answered wearily. The night was catching up to her, she realized. Food would help stave off the worst of the fatigue but not for long. She watched as Nikki brought the jar and tub over.

“Want do you want to drink?” Nikki asked.

“Damn. I should have put the coffee on.” Nora started to rise but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Sit. We don’t need coffee. Do you have juice?” Nikki squeezed the shoulder under her hand.

Nora merely nodded and Nikki went back to the fridge finding a pitcher of orange juice which she brought back to the table. She made an educated guess about the glasses and found them on the first try. By the time she set them down Nora was beginning to butter a biscuit.

There was something ridiculously domestic about the whole thing, Nikki decided. She’d always chafed at the thought of ever getting so comfortable with someone that mornings turned into routine. Now that she was in such a moment she could almost comprehend the appeal. Her gaze cut to Nora, and she had to wonder if perhaps it was the company more than the motions they were going through.

Nikki poured both of them a glass of juice then plucked off a piece of biscuit and popped it into her mouth. She could taste the faint trace of cinnamon and smiled in appreciation. “My compliments to the chef.”

“Hmm?” Nora blinked and looked at her partner, realizing that she’d drifted off into her own random thoughts. “Thanks.” She put a dollop of apple butter on her next bite before chewing appreciatively.

“So who does the robe belong to?” Nikki asked as she followed Nora’s example.

It took a second before Nora realized Nikki was referring to the robe her partner was wearing. “My ex, Alan.”

“Ex, huh? So there is no current stud visiting the Delaney stables?” Nikki teased.

Nora smiled. “Not for the last two months.”

“Poor baby.”

Nora snorted at that. Whether it was the food or company, Nora wasn’t sure, but she felt the night’s troubles beginning to loosen their hold on her thoughts. “What about you? Seeing anyone right now?”

“Nope.” Nikki licked a dab of apple butter off her thumb before taking another bite of her breakfast. She glanced at Nora over the rim of her juice as she took a sip. Her partner looked pained and exhausted, but Nora still wore a tiny smile that was just as endearing as hell. “So when did you get the tattoo?”

The blonde took a weary breath as nibbled her third biscuit. “After I graduated from the academy.” Nora realized they were multitasking. Making small talk to fill the quiet, yet, satisfying a little of their curiosity in the bargain. It was an agreeable arrangement for the moment. “Mom about had a cow.”

“I’ll bet. Your mom is a nurse, right?”

Nora wondered how Nikki knew that then realized info like that would be easy for someone with Darius’ contacts. “Yeah.”

“So was mine.”

Nora glanced up in surprise. “Really?”

“That’s how she met daddy. His appendix almost ruptured. She was on that night at the ER. It was love at first sight apparently.”

“At least he got something out of the ordeal,” Nora joked faintly. She rubbed at her aching eyes with her thumb and forefinger. “Any brothers or sisters?”

“Only child.”

“Somehow I knew that.” Nora ducked as Nikki playfully tossed a napkin at her.

“What about you?” Nikki asked. “I saw your graduation picture out there.”

“A brother,” Nora answered before she polished off the biscuit. She chased it down with a sip from her glass. “Bobby. He’s with the mounted patrol.”

“A horse cop,” Nikki replied with delight. “I always wanted to do that. You literally get to ride up and save the day.”

“When you’re not handing out parking tickets.” Nora chuckled. “He’s studying to get his detective shield. He’ll get it if it’s the last thing he ever does.”

“Maybe I’ll get to meet him some day,” Nikki said as she watched her partner struggling to stay awake.

Nora yawned. “I’ll introduce you tomorrow.” She rubbed her eyes again. “Damn. I don’t think I’m going to make it to the bath.”

Nikki put the lids back on the apple butter and margarine then put them both and the orange juice back in the fridge. She cast a quick glance at the stove to make sure it was off before coming around behind Nora’s chair. “Come on, slugger. Time for bed.”

Nora made a face, but she complied, edging back from the table and getting slowly to her feet. She winced as she straightened, and Nikki was instantly there, her warm hands touching her back and belly. She gave her partner a grateful look then moved past her, heading for the bedroom.

Reba mewed and followed from where she’d been watching them on the breakfast bar. Nikki trailed behind her partner to make sure she made it into bed all right. Nora disappeared into her closet then reappeared moments later wearing a long black Saint’s jersey that reached her knees.

“Sexy,” Nikki complimented her attire with a smirk.

Nora ignored her and climbed into the bed, sighing at how good the sheets and blankets felt.

Nikki knelt next to the bed. “Listen, I’m, just going to call a cab…”

“No you’re not.” Nora reached out and snared Nikki around a bicep tugging her effectively onto the bed. She missed Nikki’s startled gasp of surprise as she handed her another jersey the other detective hadn’t realized she was holding. “My bed is huge. Change and go to sleep.”

Nikki’s brown eyes dipped to the jersey then back up to Nora’s relaxed features. She watched from one breath to the next as Nora surrendered to sleep.

Stay or go? Nikki bit her lip as she weighed her options. The smart thing was to get the hell out of there. Whether Nora was keen to the electricity between them or not it was definitely there. Nikki knew she had impressive willpower but after what had happened hours before she also knew she wouldn’t be in much shape to refuse if Nora offered.

Nikki watched her partner sleep. She felt safe knowing Nora was only a breath away. With a sigh, she stood and slipped off the robe, not the least bit concerned that Nora might stir. The jersey was cool and comfortable against her skin when she let it drape on her body. It wasn’t Victoria’s Secret, but it sure as hell felt good.

Carefully she crawled under the sheets. Reba joined her a few moments later and she idly scratched the cat behind the ears. She wanted to take the opportunity to study her partner unobserved, but when the cat added her purr to the sounds of the pouring rain, Nikki’s tired mind and body relented, dragging her down into dreamless sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Thunder woke them both. It vibrated the windowpanes, rattling them into reluctant wakefulness. Nikki’s eyes blinked open, and she stared for several confused moments at an unfamiliar ceiling. The scent of candles came to her, mingled with the pleasing smell of clean cotton sheets and the seductive quality of Nora’s perfume. She took a slow, deep breath and realized she heard not only rain but also purring. She followed the path of her right arm down to the cat nestled next to her fingers. Reba looked blissfully content, oblivious to the apparent storm raging outside. Finally Nikki turned her head then sucked down a startled breath when she saw familiar green eyes at very close range.

Distantly, Nikki noticed the bands of gold around Nora’s pupils for the first time, marveling a little at them until her partner lifted a curious eyebrow. “Hi,” Nikki said in a voice husky with sleep.

“Hey,” Nora answered softly as another grumble of thunder sounded outside. Her lips curved into a lazy smile as she took a moment to observe Nikki this close. She lifted her arm and studied her watch in the low grey light of the room. It was almost four thirty in the afternoon. “Jeez.”

“Late?”

“Getting there. We must have been wiped.”

Nikki yawned and stretched, feeling the skin warmed sheets ripple around her body. “Well we have had a few eventful days.”

“There is that.” Nora stretched as well, testing her body’s limits gingerly. She was pleased that she wasn’t as sore as she anticipated and hoped her luck would still hold out tomorrow.

“How you feeling?” Nikki asked as she watched her with guilty pleasure.

Nora’s eyebrows shrugged rather than her shoulders. “Like I went a few rounds with a much bigger and nastier person than me.”

Nikki slowly rolled onto her side, reminding Nora of a cat as she did so. The taller detective put her head on her fist and regarded Nora with a bemused expression. “That may be so, partner, but you still won.”

“Yeah I did, didn’t I?” Nora responded smugly then laughed a little when Nikki poked her in the side under the covers. “Watch the stomach,” Nora reminded her with a smirk. “My bruises have bruises.” She took a moment to simply look at her partner, glad that she’d been fast enough, strong enough to stop Castillo from hurting her. Her thoughts must have shown in her eyes because Nikki’s gaze unexpectedly softened and a small, beckoning smile eased onto her lips.

Nora cleared her throat and looked away before tossing the sheet back. She was startled by the flushed feeling that swept through her body, but she was damn well not going to think about what had caused it. She glanced around and realized with a bit of surprise that Reba was nowhere to be seen. “Huh.”

“What?” Nikki asked around another yawn, completely unconcerned to be lying in her partner’s bed at the moment.

“My cat.”

“What about her?”

“She always sleeps on my left side.”

“Well she’s sleeping on my right at the moment,” Nikki answered blithely.

Nora sat up in surprise then cursed a blue streak when her stomach and back protested. The bed jostled with her movement and Reba lifted her head and shot her owner a cross look. Something in Nora’s stomach fluttered at the sight.

“What?” Nikki asked.

“She’s never done that before.”

Nikki seemed to understand what Nora meant. “She knows I’m a pet person. Don’t you pretty thing?” Nikki drawled as she scratched the cat behind the ears.

Nora could hear the purring ramp up like it was right next to her ear. “She’s just never…” She shook her head at the cat who was now watching her placidly over the curve of Nikki’s bare thigh. Nora forced her gaze away from the expanse of skin. “I guess she likes you.”

Nikki smiled. “She has good taste.”

Nora eyed Nikki for a moment, trying to think of something to say. If her partner had any idea what Reba had done to the last three people who’d occupied the same space in Nora’s bed she doubted Nikki would be as quick to put her hand anywhere near the cat. “You hungry?” was all she could come up with.

“Starving, actually,” Nikki replied after considering it. “Let me treat you to dinner. I can have something from Nola’s delivered.”

“Nola’s?” Nora recognized the name of one of Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants, but she’d always guessed it was a bit high on the price scale for a cop. Not for Nikki obviously. “Sure,” she said slowly.

“You trust me to order for you?”

Nora’s gaze went to the cat before leaping back to Nikki’s mischievous expression. “Sure,” she said again. She reached over and grabbed her cell phone, handing it to her partner. “I’m going to go get a bath.”

Nikki watched her partner gingerly slip out of bed before padding barefoot toward the bathroom. She tried to be inconspicuous as she leaned over. No harm in admiring another woman’s muscular legs, right? She grinned when Nora disappeared from sight then dialed a number from memory. Her grin turned to a smirk when she heard the water running. Idly she wondered what Nora would think if she tried to join her in the tub.

****

“Nora?”

The blonde detective blinked her eyes open and looked around. “Jesus,” she muttered when she realized she’d dozed off in her tub. “Yeah,” she called out in a raspy voice.

“Dinner is here,” Nikki called back before Nora heard her moving away from the door.

“Dinner?” Nora murmured. She was mildly alarmed at how long she must have been in the bath. The last thing she remembered was turning off the damn water. She climbed out, grimacing as her back tightened. A few minutes later, she emerged clad in her robe, her feet in sock-like slippers. Outside the storm still raged, occasional flickers of lightning casting interesting shadows across the walls. Nora took a breath and immediately noticed a scent that made her stomach growl with interest.

“What in the hell smells so good?” Nora asked when she arrived in the kitchen. She drew up short when she saw Nikki had lit a few candles. A bottle of wine was open on the table and breathing. Two place settings were out, and Nikki was in the process of transferring their food to their respective plates.

“Hey. I ordered you the garlic crusted Texas redfish,” Nikki replied as she finished doling out Nora’s entrée and sides. She placed her own food on her plate, shrimp and grits, a Nola favorite of hers. She then carried one more container to the fridge. “Chocolate peanut butter cake for later.”

So that’s what the smell was. Nora came closer and gazed down on her plate as Nikki returned to her seat. “Nikki, you didn’t have to do all this.” No doubt the meal had cost a small fortune. Nora hefted the chilled bottle of wine and glanced at the label.

Her partner hesitated then looked up at her. “You didn’t even hesitate to put yourself between me and a bullet. Let me buy you a nice dinner, okay?”

The earnestness and gratitude in Nikki’s eyes caused Nora’s cheeks to warm. What the hell, she decided. Setting the wine back where it belonged she dipped her head in acceptance. “I guess chatting about the case over a decent dinner doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“Ha. This is way more than a decent dinner.” Nikki was relieved Nora was giving in so easily. She poured her partner a glass of wine.

Nora sat. She felt Reba brush against her bare ankles. The cat probably wanted a bite of whatever smelled so damn good – which seemed to be pretty much everything in front of her. Nora picked up her fork then took a bite of her wild mushrooms. “Wow.”

“Wait till you try the fish,” Nikki replied as she forked up a mouthful of her cheddar grits. She chased them down with a sip of white wine.

Nora wasn’t surprised at how easily the fish flaked as she cut it with her fork. She was, however, totally unprepared for the explosion of flavor on her tongue. “Oh God,” she muttered. “I think my mouth just had an orgasm.”

Nikki nearly spit her wine across the table. Instead she choked, feeling the alcohol burn her nose and the back of her throat. She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I have found your weakness,” she declared in a husky voice.

“Food?” Nora took another bite. Savored it. “Partner, you keep feeding me like this and I’ll put myself between you and a bullet every day.”

Nikki smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’d really rather you didn’t.”

Green eyes lifted and met Nikki’s shadowed gaze through the candlelight. “Sorry I gave you a scare. I just didn’t think.”

“You acted on instinct. Lucky for me.” Nikki chewed on a forkful of shrimp and bacon. They regarded each other through the small flame for another silent moment before Nikki looked away. “So why do you think Archer sent Castillo after me?”

“Other than the fact you kicked the guy in the privates?”

“It’s been almost a year. He could have sent the guy months ago.”

“Obviously we’ve rankled him somehow.”

Nikki considered that. “I don’t know. All of this… it just feels like Archer is reacting. Like he’s scared.”

“Probably because he knows we’re going to bust his ass for murder.”

“But why kill her?” Nikki asked. She struggled to voice the jumbled thoughts she’d been having about the case. Her fork made designs with her food. “He’s kept her under his thumb all this time. He enjoyed it. Why would he end it now?”

The blonde took a sip of wine. Her eyebrows elevated at the expensive taste. “Pettit?”

“Maybe.”

Nora stopped eating for a moment. “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know.” Nikki shook her head, frustrated with her inability to articulate her churning and disjointed thoughts. “It’s just… Archer probably killed six other people and was so careful he never landed on a single cop’s radar. Now it’s like there are all these spotlights on him. He may have an alibi but then there is Castillo.” Nikki went totally still when the thought that had been niggling her brain all last night finally came into focus. “That’s it.”

“Care to share?” Nora asked as she took another bite of her mushrooms.

“What if Archer didn’t send Castillo to kill me?”

“Then I’d say Castillo is really lousy at following orders.”

Nikki pursed her lips. “Let me clarify. Archer sends Castillo to kill me… but maybe it’s Archer’s way of getting rid of Castillo.”

Nora sat up a little straighter, intrigued by the notion. “You think Archer was counting on us taking Castillo out.”

“We both knew we’d never pull the guy in without one hell of a fight. He would have thrown himself over the fire escape before going back to prison.”

“Archer would win either way. Castillo kills you, we’re off the case and it gives him a day or two of wiggle room, maybe even gives him the chance to pull in cops that are friendly to his cause. We off Castillo and a major piece of evidence goes out the window.” Nora considered the angles. “Son-of-a-bitch.”

“I don’t know why I think this… call it instinct if you want, but I don’t think Castillo was a person we could use against Archer.”

“Because he wouldn’t roll on him?”

“There is that, but think about the motive for all of Archer’s other killings.”

“They were personal,” Nora said slowly. She processed that. “You think Archer has something personal against Castillo?”

“Like maybe Ed knew who killed Delana Archer. And maybe he was using that against Dick.”

Nora abruptly went still. “Shit.”

“What?”

“I just… I just remembered something Castillo said to me when we were struggling on the fire escape. It didn’t hit me then. I was too busy trying to stay alive and he had a gun to my head.” Nora’s gaze went unfocused.

Nikki felt her bite of shrimp go down like a stone. She coughed. “He had a gun to your head?”

“There wasn’t a bullet in the chamber when he fired,” Nora said in a distracted tone. “He was reloading when I jumped him.” She missed her partner’s face as Nikki blanched. Warm fingers curled around her wrist and Nora looked up into Nikki’s stricken eyes. She blinked, realizing how she would have felt had the words come from Nikki’s lips. “Sorry.”

Nikki’s thumb idly stroked the underside of Nora’s wrist. “He almost killed you.”

Nora felt her mouth go dry at the innocent touch. Her gaze dropped to Nikki’s fingers and lingered there. “Um… he almost killed us both. Several times in fact.” She swallowed, feeling short of breath again. “He told me he was going to kill me. Then he was going to have fun with you the way he did with Delana Archer.” Nora’s voice grew softer when she realized how differently the night could have ended. Nikki could take care of herself, Nora was sure of that, but the thought of Castillo getting the upper hand… of him touching Nikki…

Nora covered the shudder that wracked her frame by tunneling her hands through her hair. She missed the loss of contact with Nikki’s warm skin, but she didn’t want her partner to know how much the thought affected her.

The rest of Nikki’s glass of wine went down in one hard swallow. She licked her lips, feeling her insides shake with the news. What Castillo had said about his plans for her didn’t disturb her nearly as much as the thought he’d had a gun to her partner’s head, that he’d pulled the damn trigger. “Christ,” she whispered as she refilled her glass then moved to fill Nora’s. Instead the bottle was taken from her hand and set aside as Nora’s warm, callused fingers intertwined with her own. Nikki inhaled sharply, her eyes lifting to Nora’s intense green gaze.

“Hey,” Nora said gently. “I wasn’t going to let him touch you.”

Nikki felt her stomach flutter at the words. “I was never worried about that,” she confessed. “I know you have my back.” She smiled and was rewarded when Nora’s face eased into a grin as well. “I just… I should have been up there on that fire escape with you.”

Nora shook her head. “Too small. We wouldn’t all fit.” It was the right thing to say, Nora decided, as Nikki laughed, the tension ebbing from the room. She squeezed Nikki’s hand, taking a moment to marvel at herself for taking it in the first place before she released it.

“So,” Nikki said slowly. “He confessed to killing her?”

“More or less. Not outright but enough to satisfy me.” Nora noticed how pale Nikki looked in the candlelight. “You okay?”

“Nothing a few more glasses of this stuff won’t fix,” Nikki muttered with a tip of her glass.

Nora smiled again before taking another bite of her dinner. She chewed in thoughtful silence. “So if Castillo killed Delana Archer where does that leave us?” she finally asked.

Setting aside her wineglass, Nikki rubbed the back of her neck. “It means either Archer hired Castillo to kill his wife or Castillo acted alone.”

“Castillo has always been Archer’s fixer. Why would he kill Delana without being told to do so?” Nora put her chin on her fist as she scooped up some mashed potatoes and sampled them.

“This is just a theory, but maybe Archer owed Castillo money and Castillo literally took his pound of flesh.”

Nora shook her head. “Castillo would know Archer’s weaknesses and Delana wasn’t one of them.”

That was sad but true, Nikki admitted. “So Archer hired him, then.”

Again Nora shook her head. “No. I think you’re on to something with the idea of Archer reacting to all of this. He’s been so cool and calm about the other murders. But this one is messing with him. It’s sloppy. And you’re right. It’s putting a pretty damn bright light on Archer.”

“So bright it’s illuminating his other murders,” Nikki added thoughtfully.

“Someone killed Delana Archer to get us to look at her husband,” Nora suggested.

“Why not send us evidence? Why go so far as to kill his wife?”

“It’s like you said, this is personal.”

Nikki took another bite of her own meal. “You think Castillo was setting Archer up?”

“No. The only way that would happen is if Castillo grew a conscience and I think it’s far more likely it would be snowing in hell before that happened. I think Castillo killed Delana and tried to hide the fact from Richard. Richard must have started to suspect or was worried we’d find out about the other murders.”

“So he sends Castillo to kill me, hoping we’d off Castillo instead.”

Nora leaned back and took a sip of her wine. “That tracks for me.”

“Me, too.” Nikki leaned forward and put her elbows on the table. She felt Reba brush her leg and absently offered the cat a piece of her bacon. “So someone else hired Castillo to kill Delana.”

“But who? Archer has more enemies than I have miles on my car.” Nora broke off a piece of bread and nibbled it. “Someone would have to hate Archer something fierce. I mean… marrow deep hate… to order something like that done to the man’s wife.”

“That’s what’s off about this to me,” Nikki said. “Whoever it is knows about the other murders yet they don’t know Archer and his wife aren’t exactly the loving couple?”

Her partner had a point and Nora found it was an annoying little wrinkle to an otherwise sound theory. “Maybe they didn’t care. It was a gruesome rape and murder of a rich socialite. Usually the nastier it is the more media coverage. The real killer didn’t care about Del, he cared about doing everything he could to focus all eyes on Archer.”

“So maybe we’re dealing with a loved one of one of Archer’s other victims. They’d certainly have motive.” Nikki finished off the last bite of her meal then washed it down with another sip of wine.

“We’ll need to touch base with Georgia. See what she’s found about Castillo. Maybe that will help lead us to the killer.”

“Have you seen any of the media reports on the case?” Nikki asked.

“I ignore them like the plague,” Nora confessed.

“I don’t need the pressure,” Nikki admitted. She got to her feet and went to the fridge. “So why hasn’t Archer bolted?”

“Any sane person would. Archer is a sociopath. He sees this all as a damn game.” Nora watched as Nikki opened the fridge and retrieved their dessert. She quickly polished off the rest of her meal with three quick bites.

“And now we’re unwitting players,” Nikki pointed out as she handed Nora another fork. She sat and opened the container allowing the scent of chocolate to waft across the table. “Man that smells good.”

“I think my mouth is about to have another orgasm,” Nora said under her breath.

Nikki pretended not to hear her. “Dig in. I have a feeling we’re going to have to enjoy ourselves while we can. Tomorrow is not going to be a fun day.”

“Just one more question to consider,” Nora tossed out there.

“Why not tell us Castillo killed his wife?” Nikki guessed. “Still a lose/lose proposition for the guy. We’d still wind up connecting Ed to Dick.”

“Yeah.” Nora took a bite of the dessert. “Damn,” she said with pleasure.

Nikki chuckled. “So where do we start in the morning?”

“With Darius,” Nora said around another bite. “You call him. I’ll talk to my brother. He knows some of the street folks. Maybe that angle will turn something.”

“Then we can meet with Georgia. Compare notes. See what the worker ants turned up today while we were sleeping.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Good. Then let’s stop talking about murder and focus on eating pie.”

Nora smiled, all too happy to oblige.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning proved to be as rainy as the previous evening. Nora stuffed her hands in the pockets of her thin leather jacket and watched the fat drops agitating the sizable puddles spotted along Bourbon Street. She shifted, feeling stiff and sore, and tried not to wince at the ensuing spasms in her lower back and stomach.

After a few dreary minutes of watching the rain, Nora yawned and looked impatiently at her watch. The fact that her brother was late was hardly surprising. The only thing Bobby Delaney was ever on time for was a free meal. The knowledge did little to assuage her growing restlessness. She’d stayed up late with Nikki, going over the case notes until they were both about to fall asleep sitting up. Her partner had left around 11:45, parting with a wink and a soft, grateful touch on Nora’s wrist.

It had been a weird moment. Nora knew she’d wanted Nikki to stay. Had almost asked her to do so. In the end she’d held her tongue and watched Nikki leave, feeling oddly alone when her partner’s taillights faded into the night.

She’d been without a close friend for so long. Finding a potential one in her new partner… a woman who by all rights was her exact opposite… was a pleasant surprise. Yet they hadn’t even know each other a week. Weird. Just… weird.

Nora raked a hand through her hair and glanced at her watch again.

Finally the clip clop of horse hooves sounded over the rain and Nora glanced to her left before offering a quick wave to the two mounted officers making their way over to the small coffee house behind her.

The shorter of two quickly dismounted and came closer, his clear plastic rain slicker swishing as he did so.

“Hey, bro,” Nora said with a grin. “Sucks to be you on a day like this.”

Bobby Delaney took off his helmet as he stepped under the shelter of a faded red awning. His hair was cropped close to his head, his baby face freshly shaved. “I heard what happened the other night. You okay?”

Nora shrugged. “No big thing. I didn’t even go to the doctor.” She didn’t mention that she probably really should have. She had a nearly expired bottle of Vicodin in her desk from her last major injury and she was looking forward to taking one.

He didn’t look convinced but he obviously knew better than to press his older sister. “So what’s up?”

She fished the list of names out of her pocket and handed it over. Bobby shook the excess rain off his hand and accepted it.

“What’s this?”

“I was hoping you could do a little asking around. This case I’m working… it looks like we might have six other victims. We’re just trying to piece it all together.”

“We? You mean the new partner I had to hear about through the grapevine?”

“We’ve been a little busy,” she replied sheepishly. “Sorry. It all happened so fast I haven’t had the chance to tell you. She wants to meet you, actually. She thinks mounted patrol is cool.”

“She should try it on a day like this,” he muttered as he looked at the names and the places where they’d worked in the French Quarter. “Wait a minute. She?”

“Yep.”

“She hot?”

“Bobby.”

He shrugged. “Can’t blame me for asking.”

“She’s taller than you.”

“You say that like I’d object.” His brow furrowed. “Some of these people… are they ‘working’ folks?”

“If you mean ‘working’ as a euphemism for prostituting, yeah, that’s what we think. Two of them, though, had legitimate jobs.”

“So what do you want me and Rob to do?” Bobby asked with a quick glance at his waiting partner who was none too subtly checking out Nora’s ass. Rob was holding the reigns of Bobby’s horse and was looking rather impatient with the arrangement.

“Ask around. See if anyone can tie these folks to Richard Archer.”

“Will do. You want to meet up later?”

“Check in with me at the station around one. We’ll compare notes.”

“And you’ll introduce me to your tall partner?” He grinned.

“As much as I like her I will subject her to my little brother for a few minutes.” She rubbed his short hair with a quick motion then used a quick thrust of her hip to bump him off the sidewalk and back into the rain. His chuckle followed her as she turned and headed inside the delicious smelling coffee house for a quick morning treat for her and Nikki.

****

“Girl, you don’t ask for much.” Darius scratched his head, making his dreadlocks sway as he stared at the list of names he’d given his friend two days ago. He sat at Nikki’s kitchen table, Nestor next to his knee. The dog sighed, his tail thumping on the floor, as he put his head in Darius’ lap. Darius petted him absently.

Nikki sat down before sliding a steaming cup of coffee toward him. “Nora has her brother asking around as well.”

Darius nodded. He took a sip of his coffee and glanced at the detective. She wore a distracted expression as she nibbled a chocolate Pop Tart. He shook his head. “You’re rich and you eat that cardboard stuff for breakfast?”

Nikki looked down at her meal. “Unless you’re gonna cook for me, sugar, this is the best I can do. So what can you tell me about the names on the list?”

Darius ignored her as he set the piece of paper down and regarded her. “You haven’t said anything about what happened the other night. For that matter you didn’t even return my calls.”

“I might have gone all Rambo on you,” she answered sweetly.

“She told you I said that?” Darius was going to have re-think his opinion of Detective Delaney.

“I recognized your number on her cell phone and forced it out of her.” Nikki leaned back in her chair and used her thumb to wipe off a smudge of chocolate on her lip. “Sorry I didn’t call. I didn’t mean to worry you. And thanks for looking after Nestor until I was able to get home last night.”

“Yeah, hanging around in your posh Garden District condo was very taxing,” Darius teased. “So is it true? Nora saved your ass?” His tone was teasing but he was startled when Nikki didn’t respond to it in kind.

Nikki was silent a moment. “Yeah,” she answered slowly. “She got pretty banged up in the process. Scared the shit out of me.” She took a breath, willing her mind to stay in the present and not back to that dark, rain soaked alley. “I thought I was going to lose my partner three days after being assigned to her.” She started to take a sip of her coffee but quickly set the cup back down when she realized her hand was shaking. Nikki ran her fingers through her hair, trying to mask her reaction. “Actually I was at her place yesterday. She has this really cool loft apartment in the Warehouse district. We sacked out most of the day then chatted about the case over take out from Nola’s.”

His friendly eyes narrowed, not believing the unaffected air Nikki was trying to project. The way Nikki talked about her partner… there was something different there. An odd tone he couldn’t place. “Nik?”

“Hmm?”

“You getting a thing for your partner?”

Nikki looked up, startled. “That would be stupid,” she blurted.

No denial. More of a dodge, Darius realized with a smirk. “She’s hot.”

“Want me to put in a good word for you?” Nikki got up from the table and went to the sink.

“Nik, you know I won’t judge you.”

“I just met her, Darius,” she said with exasperation and a touch of something he wasn’t too sure about.

“It don’t take long for opposites to attract, sugar.”

“She’s straight.”

Nikki was continuing to evade an honest answer. Darius frowned as he watched her rinsing out her cup. Normally when Nikki saw someone she liked she went for it and didn’t hesitate to vocalize her attraction. This reaction was a new one.

And it caused a thread of worry to tickle through him.

“Okay,” he relented. Now wasn’t the time. The moment would come sooner or later. He fingered the corner of the list as Nikki put her mug in the washer. “One of these folks worked for Bellwether at one point,” he said. “She went on to another corporate gig, though; was there about two weeks when she disappeared.”

“Who?” Nikki came back to the table but this time she strolled up behind him and put her hands on the back of his chair.

“Margaret Hainey. The rest… I’m sure you recognized Mangold. I recognize a working girl and some trannies.”

“You obviously have been working this angle since you gave us the list. Who should Nora and I start with? Who do you think we can tie to Archer the hardest?”

“I’d start with those two.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Hainey and Mangold. I’ve also got my ear to the ground in case Archer decides to put another hit out on you.”

Nikki shared with him the theory she and Nora had formed the night before. By the time she was done he looked thoughtful.

“Maybe,” he admitted. “Doesn’t seem farfetched. But I’m still really leery of the guy.”

“Be as leery as you want, my man.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Want to meet at the station house around one? We can compare notes. Do lunch?”

“As long as I don’t have to come inside. Me and police stations don’t mix.”

She patted his shoulder again before she moved away. “Fine. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” She scooped up a black blazer off the back of her sofa. “I’ve got to get going. Just lock up when you’re done.”

Darius shot a look at his watch and smirked again. Nikki was leaving awfully early. Was she hoping to avoid his questions about Nora? Or was she eager to see her new partner? Either reason was quite telling.

“Bye, Nestor,” Nikki called and blew the dog a kiss.

He barked back and wagged his tail before settling his head once more in his other human’s lap.

****

“Nora.”

The blonde detective looked up to see Dan motioning to her from his office. With a sigh she set her cooling cup of coffee down on her desk and carefully got to her feet. She gave Georgia a mock salute as her co-worker arrived and the other detective offered her a knowing grin.

“Shut the door,” Dan said when Nora stepped inside.

She did as told then leaned against it, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“How are you feeling?” Dan asked as he sat. He leaned back and steepled his fingers as he regarded her.

“Fine,” Nora answered easily and readily. “I slept most of the day yesterday. Had Nola’s for dinner. I’m good.”

“You know you’re going to have to see the shrink.”

“Figured.”

They eyed each other for a charged moment. Finally Dan leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “That was one hell of a boneheaded thing for you to do the other night.”

Nora shrugged but she was inwardly relieved he wasn’t going to push or make a case out her actions. “Nikki and I are still alive so I guess I can’t complain.”

“I guess I can’t, either,” he muttered. He waved at one of the chairs.

She hesitated then pushed off the door and sat down. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you about the threat against Nikki.”

“Why didn’t you?”

His voice was surprisingly even and Nora gave him points for that. “We thought you’d take us off the case.”

“You’re right. I would have. Tell me why I shouldn’t now?”

“Seriously?” Nora asked, her smoky voice sounding raspier than usual. “Castillo is dead. Besides, I called last night after I remembered what he said to me. I told Georgia every word.”

“You think he did it? Raped and killed the Archer woman?”

“He said he did… more or less.”

“We gave that to the press this morning. Maybe that will hold ‘em off a bit until we figure out who paid him to do it.”

“Maybe.

Dan thought for a moment. “So who says Archer won’t send someone in Castillo’s place? He wants Nikki dead. This setback won’t stop him.”

Nora laid out the entire conversation she’d had with Nikki the night before. Dan took it in when she was finished. He sighed and leaned back, scratching his closely shaved head. “That’s messed up.”

“Feels right, though.”

“Yeah. Somehow it does.” Dan wasn’t thrilled by the knowledge, but at least they had a confession from Castillo. It was something. “So you think Archer will ignore Nikki for now? That he got what he wanted?”

“Well, we’ll play it safe,” Nora replied. She tried to shift into a more comfortable position then winced, hoping Dan didn’t notice. “The guy is a killer no matter how you look at it. I’m just not sure he’s behind the murder we’re investigating.”

Dan looked at her, his gaze revealing nothing. “You want all those cases?”

“Are you offering them?” she asked in surprise.

“I’ve got Georgia and Radek on three of them. You and Nikki get the rest. I gave you two Mangold. I figured Nikki’s connections would get you further on that one. The four of you work together on this. Make sure you compare notes. But you stay focused on the Archer investigation.”

“We think those victims might be a motive for Delana’s murder.”

“No doubt,” Dan agreed. “But there are only so many hours in the day, Nora. Let Georgia and Radek help. Got me?”

She held up her hands. “Fine.” Nora didn’t mind working with Georgia a bit, but she was less enthused about dealing with Georgia’s older partner Tom Radek. He was an old school cop and not in a good way. How Georgia put up with him, and even seemed to like the old codger, was a complete mystery to her.

Another charged silence arched between them.

“So how’s Nikki working out?” Dan asked casually. “You over your whole rich girl prejudice?”

Nora bit back her initial response. She dipped her head. “She made it easy.”

Dan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He had thought Nikki could handle Nora but he was floored that she’d done so this quickly. “Really? You two are getting along, huh?”

An unconscious grin shaped Nora’s lips when she thought of her new partner. She remembered waking up next to her, the heat from her body so close and the smell of her perfume clinging to the sheets. “So far so good.” She cleared her throat when her voice came out unexpectedly husky.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Huh,” Dan said again. He seemed inordinately pleased. “Good to hear. I don’t have to worry about you falling for another guy.”

Nora gave him a look then rolled her eyes. “You’re implying that I fell for you.”

He merely smiled.

“Oh brother.” Nora got to her feet and walked to the door. She turned when her hand was on the handle. “Seriously, though.” Her voice was softer when she spoke. “Thanks for partnering her with me. I think she’s going to be… just what I needed.” It wasn’t quite what she wanted to say but somehow the words fit.

Dan’s smile widened. “Then I’ll expect you to have the loose ends of Delana Archer’s murder solved in the next few days. The press is so on my ass I’m beginning to chafe.”

Nora chuckled. “At least you’ve got Castillo. That’s something.” She’d barely cleared the threshold of his office when she saw Nikki enter the bullpen. Today her partner was in a black pantsuit with a bright, electric blue shell under the tailor made jacket. She looked…

Dangerous.

That was the word for it, Nora decided as she resumed her path to her desk. Nikki looked like she belonged in a boardroom somewhere buying and selling people’s futures. She wore money very, very well. “Hey,” she said when her partner plunked a Prada handbag down and sat.

“Hey,” Nikki said a little breathlessly. She grinned at Nora’s Harley Davidson t-shirt and low slung jeans. She wore a pair of dusty black shit kickers as well. A stab of envy for the comfortable looking attire hit her but she smothered it. They had decided last night to play up their perceived class status when they went to meet Archer for a second interview. “Nice outfit.”

Nora grinned back. “This was your idea.”

“I want him to perceive you as harmless.”

Nora glanced down at her clothes. “I’m dressed like I should be on the back of some guy’s bike. You ever talk to some of ‘those’ kind of girls? There is nothing harmless about them.”

“He sees anyone that isn’t in his tax bracket as harmless,” Nikki clarified.

“So you’re reminding him that you’re in a bracket above him.”

Her partner held her hands out to her sides. “But of course,” she replied in a haughty voice. Her eyes darted to Dan’s door. “You talked to him, yet?”

“Yep.”

“And?”

“He gave three of the cases to Georgia and Radek.”

“Damn.”

“You knew he would,” Nora said in a practical sounding voice. “Besides, let them do some legwork for us. It can’t hurt.”

Nikki had to agree. “What about Mangold? Or Margaret Hainey?”

“We’ve got Mangold. I don’t know about the rest. I figured I’d wait to pester Georgia when you got here.”

“I met with Darius this morning. He’s checking out any friends or relatives that might look good for this.”

“I talked to my brother,” Nora added. “He’s getting some info on the victims as well.”

“Well aren’t we connected?” Nikki drawled. She thought for a moment. “Maybe we should swing by my dad’s before meeting Archer.”

Nora paused as she was reaching down to turn on her computer. She felt a flash of concern and hoped it didn’t manifest on her features. “Why?”

“Some more ammunition to use against Archer. Daddy knows all about anybody who is worth knowing about.” Nikki tilted her head, not sure what to make of her partner’s oddly blank look.

It was a good idea Nora had to admit. “Fine,” she agreed reluctantly. “It’s just…” She started to explain her last run-in with Nikki’s father but was forced to bite her tongue when Georgia appeared.

“So Dan told you, right?” The younger woman asked. She held a file in one hand and popped it nervously against the palm of the other. “You okay with that?” Today her pantsuit was a deep blue-red.

“Absolutely,” Nora responded. “We’ve got some feelers out there. If we get a hit on anything we’ll pass it on to you.”

“Likewise.” Georgia handed her a page from inside the folder. “Here’s your three. You’ll note you got the rich dude.”

“My fault,” Nikki chimed in.

Georgia smiled. “Well you can take him. I’ve heard things about that family… Lord.”

It was Nikki’s turn to smile. Whatever Georgia knew about the Mangold’s she knew more. A lot more.

Georgia gave Nora a playful swat on the shoulder with the file. “You’re the talk of the bullpen.”

“For taking out Castillo?” Nora guessed as she finally bent under her desk to turn on her computer.

“No. For your photo shoot.”

Everyone in the room heard Nora’s head connect with the underside of her desk. Nikki grimaced as she watched her partner slowly straighten, rubbing the knot that had to be forming in the center of her head.

“Ouch,” Nikki said helpfully.

Nora shot her a look. Then she shot daggers at Georgia. “Dan?”

“Who else?”

“I’m going to kill that pig bastard.”

****

Cell phone calls and a meeting with Georgia and her partner kept Nora from addressing the issue of Nikki’s father. By the time they’d rolled up to his large estate in the Garden District there was no time. With a silent curse, Nora climbed out of the El Camino and looked up at the house. House seemed like a very inadequate term. The thing was the size of a small castle.

The only thing missing was a moat.

Nikki climbed out of the car and glanced up at her childhood home. She could hear the lawn crew working in back, their leaf blowers shattering an otherwise quiet morning. Spanish moss hung low in the trees overhead and she couldn’t help but smile at the familiar sights and scents of her surroundings. “Come on. He’s probably out back having his coffee and reading the paper.”

Reluctantly Nora followed her partner past the wrought iron gates and up the front steps. Her boots sounded loud as they crossed the veranda. Nikki entered a code then opened the front door, waiting for Nora to pass into the foyer before following and shutting the door behind them.

The smell of cigarette smoke clung to the air and Nora’s nose wrinkled in reaction. She’d been to the house before but had never made it past the front door. She was pleasantly surprised at how light and airy the place seemed. Somehow she’d always imagined the Beaumont Estate having wood paneling and a foxhunting motif. The stained glass windows above the door bathed them in soft hues of red and gold. The white paneled walls that lined the hallway were covered with family photos. Nora spied several of a precocious looking little girl and leaned in to investigate.

“Oh no you don’t,” Nikki said. She swiftly grabbed Nora’s hand and yanked her inquisitive partner away. “You haven’t known me long enough to be privy to the baby pictures.”

Nora grinned, determined to take another peek on the way out. “You grew up here, huh?” she asked as they passed an entertainment room to their right.

“Yep,” Nikki answered simply. “No place has ever come close to making me feel more at home than here.”

Nora said nothing to that. She could barely imagine growing up as an only child in a house this big. How Nikki did it without getting lost or misplaced was apparently an early sign of her detective skills.

They passed through a spectacular kitchen that was the size of Nora’s whole apartment then stepped through the back door out onto a long curved porch. The sound of the leaf blowers increased as the two detectives turned their heads to the right. Not four feet away, sitting in a white rocking chair reading the morning paper, was Arthur Beaumont.

Nora mentally cussed again. She’d half been hoping he wouldn’t be here.

“Daddy?” Nikki called.

His head lifted and a smile split his handsome features. He was perhaps fifty-five, Nora guessed, his wavy brown hair peppered with distinguishing strands of gray. Idly, Nora wondered if he paid the hairdresser to add the color after going through the trouble of dying the rest of his head. Now that she was facing him she could see the family resemblance between father and daughter – especially in the eyes. He was dressed simply. Pressed khakis and a blue oxford shirt. The only concession to the early hour the navy blue slippers he wore instead of loafers.

“Hey, little girl,” he answered as he set the paper aside and got to his feet. He faltered minutely when he saw Nora, but Nikki didn’t seem to notice. He wrapped his daughter up in a hug and squeezed her tightly his gaze focused intently on the blonde detective behind her. “What brings you by this morning?”

Nora took a bracing breath. This meeting would go one of two ways. Beaumont would either get in her face over their last meeting or he’d be coolly civil. She was hoping for the latter with Nikki present. If it had just been her and Beaumont she would have welcomed the chance to resolve their last conversation.

“First let me introduce you to my new partner. Daddy, this is Detective Nora Delaney.”

Arthur noticed an interesting inflection in his daughter’s voice. She liked Nora. Wonder of wonders. He paid no attention to Delaney’s choice of clothes. He suspected she was deliberately dressing that way for a reason. Perhaps to pique him even. He came around his daughter and extended his hand. “Nice to see you again, detective,” he drawled.

 _Coolly civil. Kick ass, _Nora thought. She took his hand and returned his firm grip in equal measure. “Councilman.”__

“You two have met?” Nikki said with some surprise. Neither her partner nor her father had mentioned that little tidbit until now.

“Didn’t Nora tell you? She was the one to put away your uncle Edgar,” Arthur said sweetly as he continued to grip Nora’s hand.

 _Maybe not so civil, _Nora amended silently. “A deed you didn’t take kindly to as I recall.”__

“I threatened to sue you so hard your great grandchildren wouldn’t be able to pay off your debt. I remember.”

“Daddy!” Nikki wasn’t at all surprised to hear Nora had booked her uncle Edgar. Her great uncle Edgar if she wanted to be specific. In fact the news only raised her partner’s profile in her eyes. “Uncle Edgar was a perv!”

Nora bit her lip.

“Indeed he was, dear. Your mother really wasn’t blessed with the best relatives.” Arthur let go of Nora’s hand and regarded her. “You did realize,” he told her. “That what I did was all for show? The Beaumont’s have a reputation to protect. No hard feelings.”

Show? Nora would have laughed in his face had Nikki not been standing there. The man had insulted her down to her DNA. “And I had the children your relative was molesting to protect. No hard feelings,” Nora answered back.

He surprised her by smiling. “Can I get you two some coffee?”

Nikki wasn’t sure which of them she wanted to corner first. It would have to be Nora she decided. The instant they were back in the car. “I’m fine. We need to ask you some more about Richard Archer.”

Nora stuffed her hands in her pockets as Beaumont continued to regard her. “What?”

He merely smiled then returned to his rocking chair. “So what is it you want to know?”

Nora decided to let her partner handle the questions. She wandered over to the rail and watched the grounds crew cleaning out a large, ornate fountain in the center of the sprawling gardens. She had to admit it was all pretty damn… well, pretty.

Nikki shot her partner a worried look then took the chair next to her father. “We’re specifically looking for buttons to push.”

“Ah. Trying to rile him up are you? Hit him in the nuts again.”

Good one, Nora privately admitted.

“Daddy, did you not hear what happened the night before last?” Nikki asked carefully.

“I was out of town, visiting your grandmother in Baton Rouge,” he reminded her. “Why?”

Nora was surprised that a man as connected as Arthur Beaumont hadn’t heard about his daughter being used for target practice. Dan must have really pulled some serious strings to keep the shooting under wraps.

“Someone tried to kill me,” Nikki informed him.

His brown eyes zeroed in on his daughter’s face, all trace of humor gone. “What?”

Never one to pass up an opportunity, especially where her new partner was concerned, Nikki used the moment to her advantage. “Yeah. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Nora.” She glanced up at her partner in time to see her partner’s back stiffen.

“What?” Arthur asked again. “What the hell happened?”

“I can’t go into details just yet,” Nikki told him with practiced remorse. “But Nora kept me from getting shot.”

“Is that true?” Beaumont demanded of the blonde detective.

Nora finally turned. She knew what Nikki was trying to do and it wasn’t going to work. There was nothing that would build a bridge over the troubled waters between her and Nikki’s dad. “I did my job,” was her answer.

“Did your job. You shielded me from the shooter, took him on in hand-to-hand combat on a rickety fire escape and eventually shot his ass.” Nikki looked at her father. “All in a day’s work,” she drawled.

Nora willed herself not to blush.

Beaumont took his daughter’s hand. “Are you alright?”

“Right as rain. Nothing a good night’s sleep and a meal from Nola’s couldn’t cure.” Nikki squeezed his hand affectionately. “I’m fine, daddy. Really.”

Beaumont glanced up at Nora and was relieved to see she’d returned her attention to the gardens. He cleared his throat. “You think it was Archer?”

“It was an associate of his.”

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Hell. Alright. He’s very competitive.”

“We know that.”

“He’s in a bidding war right now. Trying to take over a small shipping firm called Delta Distribution. You want to piss him off? Find away to freeze his access to his accounts. That’ll send him into the stratosphere.”

Nora’s brows knit before she turned to face them again. “So instead of taking shots at his pride…”

“That is his pride, Detective,” Beaumont quickly cut Nora off. “Nothing is more important to Richard Archer than his money. Nothing.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Freeze his assets. How the hell are we supposed to get that done? We don’t even have enough for a warrant to… what?” Nora stopped talking when she saw the look her partner was giving her. Nikki had her arms crossed and a glare in evidence as she sat in the passenger seat of the El Camino.

“You have history with my daddy,” Nikki accused.

Nora’s nose wrinkled and she fidgeted uncomfortably. “Don’t say it like that. You make it sound like I slept with him.”

“Did you?”

“Jesus Christ!” Nora both looked and sounded horrified by the thought.

Nikki’s lips twitched. She wanted to be mad at Nora for remaining silent about the situation, but was finding it difficult. She slipped her sunglasses on against the morning rays of sunlight pouring into the car, highlighting the dust motes that floated lazily between them. “I would think you would have said something before now.” At least her voice sounded stern.

Nora looked away then tunneled her hands through her hair. She sighed. “I figured… I figured he’d have told you all about it. After a few days when you didn’t say anything I started to wonder.”

“You’ve had days to say something,” Nikki reminded her with a touch of frost to her voice. “You hate my daddy. I would think that would be something worth mentioning.”

“I don’t hate your daddy… father…” Nora corrected, unwilling to use the term of endearment Nikki seemed to prefer.

“You sounded like you have a lot of bad blood between you.”

Nora rested her hands on the top of the steering wheel. “We do,” she answered in a quiet voice.

“That was part of the reason you didn’t want me as a partner, isn’t it?”

Nora pursed her lips as she felt a nauseating wave of guilt wash through her. “It was a pretty big reason, actually.” She met Nikki’s gaze again, wincing a little when she saw the wounded look in her partner’s eyes. “You… set those fears aside in a hurry, Nik. You’re a good cop. I could see that after an hour of working with you.”

Nik. The shortening of her name managed to have the same effect on her breathing. Nikki swallowed and pretended not to notice.

“Your dad and I just don’t play well. Our swords have crossed a few times, that’s all.” Nora knew it went deeper than that but she’d already decided it didn’t matter. She liked Nikki as a partner and wouldn’t let her feelings toward her father get in the way of that.

Nikki watched her partner fidget some more. She was damn cute when she was this uncomfortable. Nora was chewing her lip nervously and tapping her fingers on the keys where they rested in the ignition. It was clear the blonde wanted to start the car but didn’t dare. “So why didn’t you say anything?” Nikki asked again.

Nora shrugged. “I didn’t…” She hesitated before turning in her seat to face Nikki fully. “I wasn’t sure…” She sighed and collected her thoughts. “I held it against you… you being Arthur Beaumont’s kid that first day. But you kept keeping me off-balance. You were saying things… doing things… You forced me to stop seeing you as his kid and to start seeing you as a cop… as my partner. In the end it didn’t matter to me whose kid you were.”

Nikki took that in. “Must stick in your craw to like Arthur Beaumont’s daughter,” she teased ever so slightly. She watched in amusement as Nora’s shoulders lost some of their tension.

“You have no idea,” Nora confessed. She looked at Nikki for a moment. “You know you could be in there yelling at your father. He didn’t say anything, either.”

“I’m not yelling at you. You’ll know when I’m yelling at you,” Nikki promised. “And I’m guessing you’ve been in a shouting match or two with my daddy.”

“Or three or four,” Nora admitted dryly.

“Kinda pointless to argue with him, isn’t it?”

“Kinda.” Nora sighed. “You didn’t tell him I was your partner?”

Nikki thought about it. “I said your name was Nora. Maybe I forgot the last name.”

“He knew I was in special crimes. I’m sure he decided a moment like that would be worth holding his tongue over.”

Privately Nikki had to admit that Nora had her father pegged pretty well. But it bothered the hell out of her that the two of them obviously didn’t get along. “My daddy can be a pompous ass. I know that. But…”

“Look,” Nora cut her off carefully. “Your father and I are just from two very different places personality-wise. But… if you tell him I said this I will have to hurt you… he’s a good guy under all that money and power. You need only to see what he does for Progressive House to know that. Not to mention how well his daughter turned out…”

Jesus. Did she actually just feel her heart melt? Nikki cleared her throat and nodded once before looking away. “Thanks,” she managed to croak. She fidgeted in her seat before forcing herself to look at Nora again. “So how do we freeze his assets?”

“That’s what I asked when we got in the car,” Nora teased.

“Maybe we don’t have to. Maybe we can just make him think we will.”

“Not a bad idea. We’ll hit him with the news about Castillo then deliver the double whammy on his ass. I like it. And when we’re done with him we hit Castillo’s house.”

“I thought the techs swept it yesterday.”

“They did. But I want to take the measure of the man. Only place to do that is in his kingdom.”

****

“Detectives, I really don’t have time to chat so unless you’ve brought me good news about Del’s killer this will have to wait until another time.”

Nora shook her head as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her threadbare jeans. Archer had sneered at her when they’d shown up at his office an hour after leaving the Beaumont estate, but the look he’d given Nikki had been even more telling. He’d recognized money when he saw it and he’d barely been able to keep his eyes off her partner since they’d walked in the door.

Of course he may have just been surprised to see Nikki was still breathing. Other than the slight scrape on her cheek from the night of the shooting, Nikki looked flawless.

“Actually,” Nikki said matter-of-factly. “We do think we know who killed her.”

Archer hesitated. He was standing behind his desk, his hands on his briefcase. The cut of his gray suit was impeccable as was his hair. No picture of the distraught husband this time. “Who?”

“An associate of yours,” Nora answered. “You know Ed Castillo?”

Another minor pause. “I… believe he works for one of my shipping companies. A foreman I think.”

“He admitted to killing your wife to Detective Delaney,” Nikki informed him.

Archer’s eyes went wide as he looked from one cop to the other. “Then it’s over? The case is over?” He began to fuss with the handle on his briefcase.

No relief that his wife’s killer had been caught, both women noticed. More like the beginnings of a smug opponent who knew he was about to win the game.

“Sort of,” Nikki hedged. “You see,” she leaned back and crossed her long legs, hyper aware of Nora standing behind her in those form hugging jeans and wicked leather jacket. “He confessed to the rape and murder right before my partner shot him.”

Archer’s gray eyes jerked to Nora, truly taking her measure for the first time. His gaze lingered on the bruises on her face, almost concealed by her makeup and realized how she’d received them. Nora merely smiled in a way that wasn’t remotely friendly. Archer swallowed. “Is he dead?”

“Very,” Nora drawled.

Archer sat down. “Goodness,” he replied, managing to sound almost convincingly stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Well the thing is, Mr. Archer, the death of Ed Castillo has opened the door to several cold cases the police department would like to solve.” Nikki watched in satisfaction as the businessman’s face went decidedly ashen. “Six as a matter of fact.”

“What does that have to do with me? He was just a foreman at one of my companies.”

Nora snorted derisively.

Archer looked at the blonde detective then back at Nikki. He took a breath and steeled his features.

“From what we hear? Plenty,” Nikki said. “You may not have killed your wife, Mr. Archer, but she’s dead because of you. We’ll figure out how and we’ll figure out why. And we’ll find out what your involvement is in those six other murders. You can count on it.”

“You have nothing,” he answered, all pretense of playing the devastated spouse gone. “If you had something you would have searched my other properties by now.”

“That’s coming,” Nora promised him. She sauntered closer and put her hands on his desk, leaning well into his personal space. “We were thinking about all that money you have, though. Plenty for a man of your means to flee the country. Maybe we should do something about that first.”

His eyes hardened and Nora watched in fascination as she caught a glimpse of the killer she knew lurked underneath. A cold finger touched the base of her spine but she didn’t blink.

“I’m in the middle of a delicate negotiation,” he started.

“You mean your hostile takeover of Delta Distribution?” Nikki asked. “Having your assets frozen could really put a dent in those plans, huh?” She smiled sweetly. “I want Ed Castillo’s personnel file. Now.”

He regarded her for a charged moment before slowly getting to his feet and crossing to his filing cabinets at the other side of the room. It took him seconds to retrieve the requested information and he handed it over with a murderous look.

“I remember you,” he said in a deceptively calm voice.

Nikki stood to accept the file and found she was evenly matched with Archer in height. She took the file. “I left quite the impression as I recall.”

He stared hard at her. “You would both do well to watch your step down by the docks. It’s really not a place for…” he glanced at Nora. “Ladies such as yourselves.”

“Are you threatening a police officer, Mr. Archer?” Nora’s husky voice rumbled.

He looked back at Nikki. “Not at all. Just giving you a friendly… warning.” He smiled and cocked his head. “Let the games begin, eh, detective?”

Nikki smiled back but her eyes were as cold as Archer’s voice. “We’re several moves ahead, Dick. Try to catch up.”

They left him motionless in the middle of his office, but both could feel his rage following them out the door like a palpable wave.

****

“Whoa,” Nikki said when they hit the door to the lobby and exited into the late morning sunshine. “Did you see that?”

“That transformation from corporate viper to killer? You bet your ass. He gave me a glimpse at his soul back there.” Nora yanked open the door to her car and climbed in. “What I saw will probably keep me awake tonight.”

Nikki joined her in the vehicle. She popped a piece of spearmint gum and offered the pack to Nora who declined with a shake of her head. “I think we were on the money about Archer’s reason for sending Castillo after me.”

“What clued you in? The glint in his eyes when he saw you walk in? I bet if we talk to the right people we’ll find Archer was calling around yesterday to see if Castillo reported to work.” Nora turned the key in the ignition. She glanced at her watch. It was nearing 10:45. “What now?”

“Casa de Castillo,” Nikki replied before smacking her gum playfully.

Nora pulled away from the curb and headed out into fairly light traffic. They were quiet for a few moments, each absorbing the meeting they’d just had. Nora broke the silence first. “I don’t think we’re going to have this case wrapped up by Tuesday. Not with six victims.”

Nikki frowned, wondering why Tuesday was important. Then she remembered. The Shriver photo shoot. “Dan won’t let us out of it.”

Nora looked disgruntled. “What will the press say? We’re off playing model while Delana Archer’s killer is still on the loose?”

“Delana’s killer is dead. He made a full confession. That’s all the press cares about. At least until we tie Archer to the other murders. Right now the press doesn’t know jack about that.”

“Shit,” Nora groused.

“Sorry. You’re going to have to strike a pose,” Nikki teased.

“I still don’t know what the hell got into me. Some damn voodoo or something.”

The taller detective chuckled. “So you busted my Uncle Edgar, huh?”

Nora shot her a worried look as she made her way past a tour bus burping black smoke. “Is that going to be an issue?”

Nikki hiked an eyebrow. “Why would it be an issue? He deserved to go to jail.” Her voice was firm and tense.

“Did he…?” Nora trailed off as a sudden surge of fear for her partner blasted through her. “He didn’t touch…”

“I was way too old for him by the time Edgar moved back to New Orleans. He never laid a hand on me,” Nikki replied. “Apparently a few distant younger cousins weren’t so lucky.”

Nora nodded but she felt relief sweep through her clear and strong. “I’m glad I helped stop him, then.”

“Me, too. I can’t believe I didn’t know you were involved. Not that I followed the case all that closely. I was in the middle of cases of my own. I recall I really didn’t give a damn other than feeling satisfied he’d been caught. The guy always gave me the willies.” Nikki gave her partner a sideways glance. Nora’s profile was backlit from the sun as they drove, putting her partner’s features in sharp relief. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Nora said slowly.

Nikki grinned at the cautious tone. “Why did you become a cop?”

Nora’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s… it’s all I knew growing up. My dad was a cop. My biological dad, I have a stepfather now.” Her voice sounded husky to her own ears so she cleared her throat. “He was a good guy. Worked a beat for twenty years. I told him I wanted to be like him when I grew up. He was okay with that. So long as I surpassed him and became a detective.” She smiled.

Nikki felt her heart twist knowing what happened to both Nora and her father. “Delaney. That’s Irish, right?”

“That it is. My father’s father came to the states when he was nineteen. I used to love to listen to him talk at Christmas. He had the coolest accent.”

“I’ll bet.” Nikki continued to gaze at Nora’s features not even aware that she was doing so.

“He was a good man,” Nora said on an uneven breath. She glanced at Nikki. “He would have liked you.”

“I think I would have liked him,” Nikki answered honestly.

The El Camino slid into the only empty space available on the street in front of a nice line of condos in the garden district. Nora put the car in park then looked at the address she’d written down for Castillo. She whistled. “Dock work pays well.”

“Especially when you find ways to supplement your income,” Nikki drawled as she got out of the car. She waited until Nora joined her on the sidewalk before walking up the steps to Castillo’s brownstone. It was nice, the detective had to admit, but it was a stone’s throw from her own place. “Jeez, why didn’t he just whack me here?”

Nora shot her a look.

“I live five streets over,” Nikki explained.

“Ah.” Nora didn’t know what else to say so she slipped the key they’d recovered from evidence in the door while Nikki used a pocketknife to slice through the police tape.

It was Nikki’s turn to whistle. “The man had lousy taste in body art but when it comes to what you hang on the wall…” She trailed off as she approached a large, framed painting in the hall.

Castillo’s entire home was tastefully done in reds, creams and blacks. There was a lot of leather, both detectives noted, and lots of artwork on the walls. Archer obviously paid his man very, very well.

“Worth a small fortune, huh?” Nora asked when she saw Nikki studying the artist’s signature.

“How about six months worth of paychecks?”

“Ouch.” Nora moved away and headed for the kitchen. The techs had been thorough. There was black fingerprint dust everywhere. Drawers were empty. Cushions were overturned.

“We won’t find much in this mess,” Nikki mumbled as she trailed after her partner.

Nora leaned against the counter and considered their options. “What are we looking for?”

“I kinda hoped you knew.”

“I meant…”

“I know what you meant.” Unconsciously Nikki reached out and playfully swatted Nora’s arm. “The techs will have the computer, any address books or PDAs.”

“Castillo doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would carry a PDA,” Nora muttered. “He does strike me as a guy who would have the goods on Archer, though. If only for protection.”

“What kind of goods? Bank receipts? Pictures? Recordings?” Nikki exchanged a look with her partner. “Recordings.”

“Yeah.” Nora stood up straight and looked around. “It would be something that Archer wouldn’t guess.”

“The techs would have taken all the videos they found. Any computer discs, too.”

Nora looked around, her gaze skimming over the walls. There sure as hell were a lot of pictures.

And speakers.

The detective blinked. Nora hadn’t noticed them at first. They were painted the color of the walls and were overshadowed by the artwork. She wandered back into the living room, noticing four more.

“What?” Nikki asked.

“The man likes his music.”

Nikki finally noticed what her partner was looking at. “I don’t see a stereo.”

“Let’s try upstairs.”

They walked up the steps in relative quiet. Nora entered the master bedroom and looked around. Nothing.

“Over here,” Nikki called out.

Nora entered the room behind her partner and was immediately greeted by a reflection of the two of them standing side by side. They did make a striking pair some part of her brain noted. Her gaze moved off to take in all the gym equipment. “Nice setup.”

“Hmm.” Nikki stepped inside. “It was hard working making those flame tattoos bulge like that,” she joked as she picked up a free weight and did a playful arm curl. It didn’t appear that the techs had done much in here. They had obviously dusted for prints but outside the gym equipment there was nothing all that noteworthy present. A thunking sound made her turn her head as she set the weight back down. She watched as Nora tapped on one of the mirrors with a knuckle.

Nora frowned and moved to the next mirror before tapping again with similar results.

“What are you doing?”

The blonde detective ignored her partner as she went to the third mirror and repeated her actions. This time the sound was different. More hollow. She turned and looked at Nikki.

“Son-of-a-bitch.” Nikki came closer and tapped the surface herself. “Something is back there.”

Nora gave the glass a push and was unsurprised when something clicked open. She wedged her fingers in the opening and pulled, swinging the mirror back and revealing a small room with television monitors and various playback decks for DVDs. “There’s the stereo,” Nora drawled.

“I’ll call the techs,” Nikki muttered as she slipped out her cell phone. “They missed a spot.”

“I’ll say.” Nora noted the stereo that fed the speakers throughout the house as she slipped on a latex glove before picking up a DVD off a nearby stack and studying it. She showed the label to Nikki.

 _Thomas Mangold._

Nikki shook her head as she started talking into her phone.

With a sigh Nora slipped the disc into the machine and pushed play.

What she saw almost made her toss her breakfast.

“Jesus,” Nikki whispered as she finished her call.

They watched Thomas Mangold die at the hands of a manic looking Castillo. He was enjoying Mangold’s screams, smiling devilishly as he plunged a nine-inch blade into his victim’s flesh. On the ground, Mangold struggled to free himself from the ropes holding him, to avoid each thrust of the knife. Castillo had left Mangold’s mouth free on purpose.

Nora almost jumped when Nikki’s fingers wrapped around her bicep.

“He’s toying with him,” Nikki realized in horror. None of the blows would have killed Mangold instantly even though the blood loss ultimately would.

Nora felt rather than saw when Nikki turned away as Mangold screamed in misery, his voice raspy with desperation. She turned the DVD off. Her insides felt like they were shaking. She took a breath before turning to Nikki. There were far more than six DVDs present.

“He used multiple cameras,” Nikki said as she stepped out of the room, in dire need of fresh air.

“What?”

“He edited the video.”

He had, Nora realized. The camera angle had cut between Castillo and his victim. “The bastard recorded his murders.”

“That’s why he led us to that alley.” Nikki realized. “He had cameras in that alley.”

“We need to get back there. He’d have had more than one. And we wouldn’t have looked at adjacent buildings.” Nora glanced back at the small room and almost shuddered. “As soon as the techs get here we’ll go. There might still be something in those recordings we can use against Archer.”

“I’ll bet you a bottle of expensive wine that Archer somehow knew about that room. That he only left what could be used against Castillo.” Sucking in a deep breath Nikki went back inside. She went to the computer and took it out of safe mode before hitting the eject button on the DVD player.

The disc slid out.

For a moment Nikki could only stare as she processed what she was seeing. Nora came up behind her and looked. The label on the disc said it all.

 _Delana Archer. ___

“Oh my God,” Nora whispered. She slid past Nikki, slipping on her other glove as she sat down at the computer. She double clicked on what appeared to be editing software and waited. A list of projects appeared and she clicked on the one with Archer’s name. A timeline appeared along with two windows. Nora punched the spacebar then swallowed hard.

The camera turned on revealing a frightening close up of Castillo’s face. He stepped back and the detectives could see the unconscious figure of Delana Archer stripped and bound to the bed. As Castillo moved further away from the camera they could see he was naked and aroused.

“FYI. I’m skipping lunch,” Nikki said.

Nora could have kissed her for the much needed moment of humor. She hit the spacebar again and the image stopped. Castillo was half on, half off the bed, about to straddle Delana’s prone body. Both souls in the shot were now dead but only one of them deserved to be. Nora knew she’d have to watch the rest of the act later and the mere knowledge left her nauseous. “Sometimes I hate my job.”

A warm touched eased over Nora’s shoulder before rubbing coaxing circles. The detective released a shaky breath, taking unconscious comfort in the contact.

Nikki knelt next to her and studied the image. “She was out before he tied her to the bed.”

“The bruises from the ropes indicated as much,” Nora said. She shook her head. “How did he get the drug into her? I can’t see her sitting down for a cup of tea with a guy like that. Yet there was no evidence he forced it into her. No injection site to suggest he used a needle.” Something tickled the back of Nora’s brain as she stared hard at the image. There was something there. Some piece of the puzzle she wasn’t seeing.

They heard voices down stairs. Someone called Nora’s name.

“Up here,” she yelled back. Nora turned and looked into Nikki’s eyes. “Why don’t I hit the alley? I’ll get some of these guys to meet me…”

“I’m good,” Nikki said firmly. “Where you go I go.”

“Nik…”

“Nora,” Nikki cut her off gently but firmly. “I’m not the one who almost died there.”

With another sigh Nora nodded and got to her feet just as the first CSI walked in the room.

“Damn,” the tech said when he saw the open mirror panel. “Shit. We missed it.”

“Dumb luck we found it,” Nora lied as she slid out of the room.

The tech saw what was on the screen and blanched. He turned and looked at Nora. “We’ll seal this one up tight, detective. Every spec of evidence you’ll get.”

“Thanks, Jason,” Nora said wearily. “I’ll need those discs sent over. Nikki and I are going to have to watch them later.”

His gaze went from Nikki then back to Nora. “Consider it done. We’ll process them for prints first thing.”

“Thanks,” Nikki said as she followed Nora from the room. They made their way back to the car in pensive silence. Nikki was mildly startled when Nora handed her the keys.

“You drive. Okay?”

“Sure,” Nikki answered slowly. She watched Nora slide into the passenger seat, her partner’s thoughts clearly chewing on something. She wanted to ask what Nora was thinking, but some inner instinct told her now wasn’t the time. Nikki slipped behind the wheel and started the car.

They didn’t say another word until they reached the alley.


	12. Chapter 12

It looked so harmless in the daylight.

Nikki stood at the mouth of the alley and surveyed the space. There was no rain, no darkness, no thumping music making her eardrums ache. She eyed the dumpsters, brick walls and iron fire escapes with a look of intense disgust. This was not a place she would want to be caught dead in.

It pissed her off that she almost was.

“So where do we start?” Nora interrupted her musings as she joined her. She flipped her phone closed having just hung up with Dan and slipped it into her pocket. He was sending a squad of CSIs to go over the alley from top to bottom but there was nothing that said that they couldn’t get a head start.

Nikki shrugged and blew out a breath. “He would have more than one camera.”

“Yep.” Nora nodded toward the fire escape where she’d fought Castillo. “Money says there is one up there.”

Nikki felt a chill and she rubbed her bare arms absently. She’d left her blazer in the car, hoping to spare one piece of her expensive attire from the filth around her. “Yeah. He’d want his close-up.” She caught Nora’s arm when her partner started past her for the fire escape. “Where are you going?”

The blonde looked at her like the answer should be obvious. “Up there,” Nora said slowly as she tilted her head at the fire escape.

“Why don’t I go?”

“Why?”

Nikki hesitated. “You almost… died up there,” she finally murmured.

Nora scratched the back of her neck. Nikki realized it was a nervous gesture of her partner’s and she filed the information away for later use.

“But I didn’t,” Nora answered. “It was a fist fight. I’ve been in more than a few scuffles. You think I’m going to have some sort of freaky flashbacks up there or something?” She scoffed at the idea.

“No,” Nikki’s reply was immediate. “I’m not questioning you, Nora, but you did almost die up there. That weirds me out a little so I can only imagine how it would make you feel.”

Nora opened her mouth then closed it when she could think of nothing to say. Truthfully she wanted to climb back up on that fire escape as much as she wanted to go another round with Castillo and lose. Her aching ribs weren’t too keen on the idea, either. “It doesn’t matter how I feel,” she finally admitted

“It matters to me.”

The two detectives looked at each other for a long, silent moment.

Nora was thrown by the concern. “It’s the job.”

“And fortunately for you it comes with a partner.” Nikki winked, feigning nonchalance she didn’t feel. “You could give me a boost up so I don’t have to take the stairs, though.”

Still confounded by Nikki’s offer, Nora could only nod and follow her in a fog to the fire escape. The ladder was down from where Nora had dropped it the night before last. They both looked up at the distance then at each other.

“Seemed closer the other night,” Nora joked. She eyed Nikki’s suit and heels. “I should really be the one to climb…”

“Ah.” Nikki held up a hand and watched in amusement as Nora lapsed into instant silence. “I’ll take the stairs down.” She made a hurry up motion with her hand and Nora rolled her eyes before lacing her fingers and crouching.

“You’re going to be lucky if I don’t toss you into the ladder at this point,” Nora groused good-naturally. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, hoping like hell her abused muscles wouldn’t embarrass her. It would be mortifying if she couldn’t heft Nikki up high enough, and she was damn sure her partner would give her all kinds of playful grief for it. “Try not to stab me with those heels of yours.”

Nikki snorted then put her hand on Nora’s leather-clad shoulder before putting her foot in Nora’s cupped hands. Somehow they over compensated and the next thing Nikki knew she was sprawled across Nora’s body, the blonde detective blinking at her in surprise.

“Sorry,” Nikki said breathlessly. Nora’s body was warm and firm underneath her, her partner’s perfume mingling with the scent of leather. Her brown eyes met Nora’s intense green gaze and Nikki could suddenly think of nothing to else to say. The heat of Nora’s hands at her waist seemed to burn through the silk shirt Nikki was wearing. Nikki swallowed hard as Nora took a moment to just look at her. Nikki could feel the electricity arc between them and she quickly scrambled off her before she did something stupid.

Nora blinked as Nikki got to her feet. She took a quick breath and tried to get control of her sudden racing heart, tried to pretend she wasn’t disappointed when her partner’s heat and curves no longer blanketed her own. “Um… my fault,” she managed, not sure if it actually was. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Nikki answered quickly. She held out a hand and helped Nora to her feet letting her go the instant Nora was upright.

Nora regarded her for a moment then slowly smiled even though her aching back was none too pleased at the moment. She felt unexpectedly bashful as she suspected the reason for Nikki’s sudden onset of obvious nerves. “Shall we try again?”

Nikki licked her lips. “Beats taking the stairs in these heels,” she replied with a breathless laugh.

Nora looked down at Nikki’s shoes then let her gaze slowly wander up Nikki’s toned body. “You… aren’t exactly dressed for this.”

Nikki took in an unsteady breath. She wondered if Nora had any idea how she was looking at her right now. “That’s what dry cleaners are for.”

The quip worked. Nora chuckled and the tension eased. The blonde detective laced her fingers again. “Let’s try this one more time… without falling on our asses.”

“Falling on your ass you mean. I’ll just use you as a pillow again.” Nikki felt brave enough to wink and she watched in delight as Nora blushed.

A few minutes later, Nikki was looking out over the alley from the third floor fire escape. It seemed higher than she remembered and she glanced down with a wince, thinking about how far Castillo had fallen. “Good thing Nora killed you first,” she muttered. “That would have hurt.”

She refused to think of Nora fighting for her life in the small space. Nikki couldn’t let her mind go there and still do the job. She focused on Delana Archer. Focused on the justice the woman deserved. The thought steeled her resolve.

The techs would have swept the rail and the floor for evidence. She dipped her head back and looked upward. Her eyes skimmed the bottom of the fire escape platform above her. All she saw was metal and rust. She frowned and fished into her pocket for the penlight she carried on her keychain. She clicked it on and started in the back corner, easing the beam along the edges of the fire escape.

The tiny lens winked when the light hit it and Nikki felt her heart stutter. She swallowed and kept looking. She didn’t expect to find another camera, but she did. He had put a camera in each front corner. There was no doubt he would have captured every single frame of his fight with Nora, even though he had never planned on going toe-to-toe with her partner.

Nikki clicked off the penlight then moved to the rail, looking over the side and watching Nora as her partner prowled the alley. “Nora!”

Her partner looked up.

Nikki held up two fingers and watched as Nora took a deep breath and nodded.

“This day is really stating to suck,” Nikki drawled as she turned away and went to the door to head up to the floor above.

****

Two hours later they were armed with discs and cameras recovered from the scene. Nikki had been all too glad to get the hell out of that alley. Nora had seemed fine, supervising the techs as they scoured the surrounding buildings for the recording equipment. They’d been mildly surprised to realize a small microphone had been hidden on the fire escape Castillo had used as a firing stand.

Nora had been almost robotic as she’d helped process the scene. Nikki had envied her partner her cool. She could have used a little herself. Smelling that alley again had been enough to trigger the rush of unpleasant memories. She’d buckled down and did her job because that was simply the kind of person she was.

But she hadn’t much liked it.

Nora was quiet as they rode back to the station with the evidence. It was nearing one o’clock, almost time to meet Darius, Nikki realized. She wished she had more time to pull her partner aside, to talk to Nora about what was so obviously bothering her.

Nikki cleared her throat. “Do you mind if we save the home movies until after lunch?”

Nora glanced at her as they stopped at a red light. “I thought you were skipping lunch?”

“I am,” Nikki said emphatically. “But Darius is stopping by to meet me.”

“So is Bobby.” Nora glanced at her watch and sighed. “Like it or not we should eat something. Maybe the four of us can hit Sweeny’s.”

“Okay. Sounds good to me.”

The light changed and Nora stepped on the gas. Her brow was furrowed and as Nikki watched it deepened. “You okay?”

Nora nodded. “I just… I had a weird thought back there in that room at Castillo’s. A very unsettling, weird thought.”

“Want to share?”

“Not yet,” Nora murmured. “Let me look at some of the tapes first.”

Nikki nodded even though she felt a little stung. “Being in the alley didn’t bother you?”

Nora took a breath as she made a left turn. “A little, I suppose. It’s not the first time I’ve been shot at. Or the first time I almost died.”

“You’ve come closer than that?” Nikki asked with mild alarm and more than a little curiosity.

“About three years ago. A suspect Dan and I were chasing managed to double back and get his vehicle. Nailed me with it and broke both my legs.” Nora shook her head. “What happened with Castillo seems tame in comparison.”

Nikki’s gaze dropped to Nora’s legs. She’d noted a few scars the other night but nothing to indicate her partner had gone through such major trauma. “That’s when you got the phoenix tattoo,” she guessed.

Nora opened her mouth to respond then closed it as she considered what she wanted to say. “Yeah,” she finally confessed. “I was in physical therapy. I figured getting a tattoo couldn’t hurt any worse than the pain I was already in. I was wrong,” she joked faintly.

Nikki smiled. “Do they still give you trouble? Your legs?”

Nora shrugged. “Sometimes when it rains. Doesn’t that make me sound like an old geezer?”

Her partner chuckled. “I had a perp wail on me with a baseball bat. Broke my left shoulder and a couple of ribs. I know a thing or two about aching bones when the weather gets wet.”

“Ouch.” Nora winced in sympathy. “He wasn’t high was he?”

“As a kite. And he was a she, actually. What a freak.”

Nora snorted with amusement as she realized some of her funk was starting to ease. She shot an oblivious Nikki a look of gratitude. “Were you okay in that alley?”

Nikki shrugged. “I managed. I don’t know if it was nerves or the smell making me want to gag.”

“Probably both.” Nora pulled the Camino into the parking lot of the police station. She immediately saw her brother who was sitting on the stoop in front of the door. He waved.

“Is that your brother?” Nikki asked in a delight. “What a cutie.”

Nora shot her partner a glance. “You don’t want to go there.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to go there but there is nothing wrong with admiring the scenery.” Nikki got out of the car as Nora did the same.

“Hey, sis,” Bobby said as he approached. His gaze went to Nikki. “You must be the new partner.”

“Guilty as charged,” Nikki replied as she accepted his handshake. His grip was firm and warm as he smiled at her. Cuteness apparently ran in the Delaney family.

“Bobby, this is my partner Nikki Beaumont. Nikki, my worthless brother Bobby.” Nora scowled as her brother continued to hold Nikki’s hand.

“Watch it,” Bobby shot back at his sister. He dipped his head and brushed Nikki’s knuckles with a quick kiss. “Charmed.”

Nikki couldn’t help but giggle but she stifled it when she saw Nora roll her eyes. “Nice to meet you, Bobby.”

“Did you find out anything?” Nora demanded of her sibling, glad when he finally let go of her partner.

“Margaret Hainey,” he replied getting down to business. “I might have something for you there. I’m guessing you know all about Mangold. As for the rest… still digging.”

“Ladies,” a voice interrupted.

They turned to see Darius standing there, the beads in his dreads catching what little light was available. He was in jeans and a grey Saints sweatshirt. Nora wondered if he’d chosen the most inconspicuous thing he could find to wear.

“Darius.” Nikki kissed his cheek. “Darius, this is Bobby Delaney, Nora’s brother.”

Darius gave the officer a tight but not unfriendly smile. “Officer.”

“Nice to meet you,” Bobby replied hoping the newcomer wasn’t Nikki’s boyfriend.

“Come on. Let’s all do lunch and swap info,” Nora directed as she headed back for the car, assuming the others would follow.

Ten minutes later they were gathered around the back booth at Sweeny’s. Nora sighed and leaned back before massaging the bridge of her nose.

“One of those days, huh?” Bobby asked with a playful jab to his sister’s ribs. He missed her brief wince of pain. Darius was opposite him talking quietly into his cell phone. Nikki sat next to the informant, her gaze distant as she watched the traffic pass slowly beyond the windows.

“Yeah,” Nora grumbled, rubbing at the spot where he’s poked her. “When we get done here Nik and I have to go watch a bunch of people get murdered.”

“What?”

“We found DVDs of the murders Castillo committed,” Nikki explained. A tiny warm ball formed in her guts at how easily Nora had used her nickname.

“Nice way to spend an afternoon,” Darius drawled as he hung up. “Don’t forget the popcorn.”

“You’ll be lucky if I manage a few fries. After what we saw earlier I don’t think me or Nora has much of an appetite.” Nikki fiddled with the edge of her napkin.

“Wishing you was back in narcotics?” Darius guessed.

Nikki looked up and found herself caught in Nora’s intense regard. “No,” she said instantly. “I’m where I want to be.”

Darius looked from one woman to the other before sneaking a glance at the oblivious Bobby. “I’m glad I don’t have your job.”

Their orders arrived. The place was packed so Syd had merely sent out what he thought his customers needed.

“We didn’t order this,” Bobby started to complain.

“Syd’s psychic,” Nora informed him dryly. “Trust me. You’ll love it.” She looked up and smiled at an amused Nikki before snapping her teeth down on a fry.

“So what do you boys have for us?” Nikki sipped her Coke and made it a point to look at Bobby first. He’d been flirting with her from the start and she had to admit she was charmed, but the younger Delaney just couldn’t hold a candle to his sister. Doing anything with Bobby would be settling and Nikki was smart enough to know better.

“Margaret Hainey.” Bobby took a bite of his sandwich. “Whoa that’s good.” He wiped his mouth. “I know a few folks that work over at Delta Distribution. They have lunch twice a week down on Bourbon Street. I chatted up one of them this morning.”

“And?” Nora prompted.

“His name is Mark Honeycutt. He’s some sort of accountant. You know Archer is trying to take them over.”

“Old news,” Nora told him bluntly.

“Right.” Bobby swallowed a fry. “Well, Hainey left Bellwether and took a lot of Archer’s underhanded plans for Delta Distribution with her. She was working for them less than a week when she was found murdered.”

“That jives with what I’ve heard,” Darius interjected. “Although you left out the part where she used to bang the boss. Those papers she got hold of would have been impossible to get to without some special time in Archer’s office.”

“Ick,” Nikki muttered as she nibbled her sandwich.

“The folks at Delta think she was murdered because she screwed Archer over,” Bobby said.

“She did,” Nora admitted. “And she probably was. The question is why the cops didn’t zero in on Archer.”

“I checked in to that, too,” Bobby admitted. “Archer was out of the country on business. He’s got at least twenty associates who can alibi him.”

“He was off closing deals while he had Castillo killing the competition – literally.” Nikki sighed and rolled her tense shoulders as Nora watched her with clear empathy.

“Tying Archer to these murders is going to be a bitch,” Nora added. “We can tie them all to Castillo. Hell, we’ll probably watch him kill every person on the list by the end of the day. We can tie Castillo to Archer but in a completely harmless way. Hundreds and hundreds of people work for the guy. Lawyers will argue Castillo was just another cog in the machine.”

“So what did Mangold do to piss off Archer?” Nikki asked.

“Mangold is a banker,” Darius supplied as if that said it all.

“And?” It was Nikki’s turn to prompt. She already understood what that could mean but she suspected Bobby and Nora would need an explanation.

“Mangold played both sides of the fence if you know what I’m saying. I’m hearing he and Dick were lovers for about two months. Then Archer found a new toy and blew him off, not realizing that Thomas has a hell of a lot of pull with the numerous financial institutions in the area.”

“He made sure Archer couldn’t get financing to take over any more companies,” Nora realized. “Sonofabitch. Bet that pissed Archer off good.”

“You bet, sweet britches.” Darius popped a fry into his mouth and talked around it. “Once Mangold was dead, the money started flowing again.”

Nikki and Nora exchanged looks. Again, Nikki saw a shadow of something in her partner’s eyes… some notion that was clearly disturbing her. She let the questions be for now. Trying to draw Nora out with Darius and Bobby present would probably not be appreciated.

“Do we know what cops Archer has in his pocket?” Nikki asked.

Darius forked over a list. “There’s some preliminary names. I’ll firm that up some by tonight.”

Nikki kissed him on the cheek and he smiled.

Nora noted Bobby’s frown at Nikki’s display of affection and she almost laughed. Her poor brother didn’t stand a chance. With a sigh she glanced at her plate, surprised that’s she’d finished off most of her meal. “Thanks for the help guys. The picture is definitely getting clearer here.”

“You still don’t have enough to pin these murders on Archer,” Bobby pointed out. “Everything is circumstantial. Any lawyer worth his salt would nail you guys on that.”

“That’s why we have to keep digging. There is always a chink in the armor somewhere. We just have to find it,” Nora said with conviction.

“And we will,” Nikki vowed.

****

“Detectives!”

Nikki and Nora paused as they headed across the parking lot to the police station. They’d left Bobby and Darius less than half an hour before to finish their lunch at Sweeny’s before returning to the station to watch the discs. Nikki fingered the business card Bobby had slipped her with his personal number on the back. She wondered if she should mention it to Nora or simply toss it in the first trashcan she came across.

“Pettit,” Nora said when she saw Delana Archer’s lover strutting over the asphalt in painted on jeans, a white tank and army boots.

“Oh boy,” Nikki muttered when she spotted the woman as well. A stiff breeze was blowing, ruffling Pettit’s short crop of black hair. “As if this day didn’t suck enough already.”

Pettit stopped a few feet from them then stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I…” She hesitated, clearly trying to regain some of the bravado that had conspicuously fled once she’d opened her mouth. “I wanted to know how the investigation was going.”

“You haven’t watched the news? Picked up a paper?” Nikki asked. It felt like a hypocritical thing to say considering that she hadn’t either.

“Why? Did you arrest Archer?”

“A man named Ed Castillo killed Delana.” Nora watched the taller woman carefully for a reaction.

“Castillo,” Pettit tasted the name. “Who the hell is that? Why did he…?” She swallowed before shifting uncomfortably. “You got proof?”

More than they wanted, Nora privately thought, her mind turning to the waiting DVDs inside. “A full confession.”

“Could he be lying for Archer?”

“He confessed while trying to kill my partner.” Nikki crossed her arms. “He didn’t have any reason to lie.”

Pettit’s dark eyes jumped to Nora’s features, taking in the small bruises on her face for the first time. “Why?” she asked as her voice unexpectedly broke. “Why did some stranger do that to her?”

Nora felt a sliver of pity. Pettit was a user without question. But she wasn’t soulless. Clearly some part of her had cared for Delana. At least someone had. “Can you come inside? Look at a few pictures?” She felt Nikki twitch in surprise but her partner said nothing.

“Sure,” Pettit slowly answered. “I ain’t ever heard of the guy, though. I don’t know what help I could be.”

“Let’s find out.” Nora took her elbow and led her inside as a quiet and curious Nikki followed.


	13. Chapter 13

“So that’s the girlfriend, huh?” Georgia asked as she stared through the one-way glass at Pettit.

“That’s her,” Nikki confirmed. Her hip rested against the wall, her nose practically against the glass as she watched her partner sit down on the edge of the table next to Pettit. Nora was in full cop mode, wearing the job like it was a second skin. It was damn fascinating to watch. And damn sexy. Nikki bit her right thumbnail and gnawed absently as she watched her partner work. There was no reason to think Pettit knew a thing about Castillo or the other murders but something had jived for Nora apparently.

“You’re lucky,” Georgia’s voice intruded on her musings.

“What?” Nikki looked at her blankly, wondering which of her thoughts had telegraphed on her face.

“To get Nora for a partner. She kicks major ass.”

For an instant, Nikki wondered if there wasn’t someone in the squad that wasn’t head over heels for her partner. Her lips quirked into a half smile. “So I’ve heard.”

“Yeah, her reputation precedes her. She’s a bit of a maverick, though. You might find yourself having to rein her in from time to time.”

Was it sick that she was rather looking forward to that? Nikki’s smile broadened. “I’m more likely to go along for the ride.”

Georgia chuckled. “God help us with two of you around here.” She shook her head. “So what does she hope to accomplish by showing her the pictures?”

“Beats me,” Nikki confessed. “She’s got something going on in her head, though.”

Georgia leaned against the wall. “You’ve seen it.”

“Seen what?”

“That look she gets when she’s about to bust a case wide open. Forget about asking her to tell you what’s on her mind. She won’t say. Used to drive Dan crazy.”

Nikki considered that interesting bit of news as she watched Nora spread several photos out for Pettit to view.

“Don’t take it personally,” Georgia quickly added when she saw Nikki frown. “She just makes these wild leaps in logic and no one has ever been able to keep up with her. She just wants to have all her facts in a row before sharing. I think it’s sort of safety measure on her part.”

Nikki simply nodded, suspecting Georgia was right. Still. She wanted to know what was going on in that pretty head. She thought back to the room at Castillo’s, to the look on Nora’s face as she’d stared at the computer with Delana Archer’s death frozen in time. What had Nora seen in that recording? What ideas were that brilliant mind tumbling and shifting through even as they watched?

Georgia pressed the intercom so they could hear what was being said.

“Who are these people?” Pettit asked, some of her sulky personality making a re-appearance.

“You don’t recognize any of them?” Nora watched Pettit’s face carefully for clues.

Tracy leaned forward and peered more closely at the images. Reluctantly she reached out and fingered the corner of one. “This is Thomas Mangold, right?”

“You know him?”

“I’ve seen him around some functions. He tosses a few bucks at women’s causes I support. Very few bucks.” Pettit frowned. “Isn’t he dead?”

Nora just looked at her.

Pettit drew meaning from the silence and her demeanor sobered. She slid the picture aside and studied the others with deliberate intent. She finally shook her head. “Sorry. A couple of them may look familiar but maybe I’m just hoping they do.”

The bit of honesty was a surprise but a welcome one. “What about these names?” Nora handed the taller woman the list.

Tracy ran a hand through her hair as her frown deepened. Unconsciously she began to nod. “Hainey. Yeah, I recognize that name. Seems like Del said something about her.” She rubbed her bottom lip as her thoughts turned inwards. “It’s weird. You showing me this.”

“Why?”

“The week before Del died…” Tracy took a breath. “We met for lunch. As she was leaving she dropped the book she was reading. A list of names fell out. I only remember the first name at the top was Margaret. I asked her about them but she shrugged it off. Said something about them being donors for Progressive House.”

“How many names were on the list?”

Pettit shrugged. “It’s not like I counted, but this looks similar, you know?”

“What book was it?”

“What?”

“The book you said Del was reading. The one the list was in. What book was it?”

The question seemed to throw Pettit and she took a moment to think about it. “I don’t know. I didn’t pay attention. It was a paperback if that helps.”

Nora got to her feet and walked past the observation window. Behind the glass Nikki looked back at her, surprised by the development. She turned her head toward Georgia. “Do you mind getting the crime scene photos?”

Georgia was already in motion. “Be right back.”

The door closed behind her and Nikki shifted, crossing her arms as she continued to watch. It was mesmerizing. Seeing Nora in her element. There was something about her partner that held her rapt attention, made it nearly impossible to look away. She took a breath and stepped back from the glass, trying to mentally retreat from her unsettled feelings as well.

“You think Delana knew her husband had those people killed?” Georgia asked when she returned, file in hand.

“The wife always knows even when she doesn’t think she does,” Nikki echoed Pettit’s words from the first time they met. She took the folder and flipped it open. Her gaze immediately zeroed in on the bedside tables.

“See any paperbacks?” Georgia glanced over her shoulder.

Nikki shook her head. “No. Maybe it was in her purse or a briefcase.” She could hear Nora and Pettit talking through the intercom but was too absorbed in her current task to make out what they were saying. She flipped through several pages, looking for a catalogue of items found in the room. She found what she was looking for ten pages in. “Here. There was a paperback in her purse on the back of a chair.”

“What was she reading?”

“To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“Seriously?” Georgia gave the other detective a look. “You mean someone would willingly read that outside of high school?”

“I like that book,” Nikki muttered. She flipped the file closed. “If Del knew about the murders then that’s a pretty big motive for Archer to kill his wife.”

“But she was a mouse. Too scared to turn him in for beating her. Why would he worry about her handing a list of names over to the cops? She was terrified of him.”

Nikki crossed her arms as Nora approached the table again with a new folder. “Pettit, Shriver, Foster… all of them spoke about the fire that once lurked under the surface. I don’t think Delana Archer was as cowed as we all believe.” Something niggled at the base of her brain but she couldn’t quite get a grip on it.

“So maybe something sparked that fire,” Georgia suggested.

Nikki felt the world tunnel down to the tableau on the other side of the glass. “Or someone,” she realized aloud.

“One more picture,” Nora said as she slid the folder down in front of Pettit. She flipped it open and watched for a reaction.

Pettit shifted forward in her chair and studied the photograph. Her eyes narrowed. “I’ve seen this guy.”

“Where?”

“Around Archer. Dick and I got into it a few weeks ago. It got kind of physical. He warned me off Del.”

“He knew about you and Del?” Nora’s voice sharpened.

Reluctantly Pettit nodded. “Archer spied on us. Said he got off watching the videos, but he didn’t want anyone touching his wife but him.”

“When did you see this man?” Nora tapped the photo.

“Archer left, shuffling to his car after I gave his jewels a twist. This guy,” Pettit touched the corner of the photo. “This guy drove him away. Archer said something to him and he turned and looked at me. I don’t scare easy but he made my skin crawl,” she admitted.

Pettit looked up at Nora with sudden understanding. “This is the guy? This is the guy who killed Del?”

“Yes,” Nora replied with a trace of compassion.

Pettit’s lower lip began to quiver. She viciously wiped at her tearing eyes. “Give me two seconds alone with him.”

“Tracy,” Nora said gently. “He’s dead. I killed him in self-defense.”

Pettit closed her eyes and shook her head. “He got off too easy,” she whispered brokenly. “Too damn easy.”

Nora was inclined to agree. “I’m sorry.”

Tracy nodded then looked back up into Nora’s bruised features. Castillo had been a big guy. This cop had to be pretty tough to take him down. She felt a flicker of respect cut through her grief. “You think Archer paid him?”

Nora leaned back and Nikki watched as that shadow clouded over her partner’s eyes again. That secret she was keeping to herself. The angle she was polishing. What in the hell was it?

“We’re trying to find out,” Nora said neutrally.

“He said he was going to kill me,” Pettit stared at the photo of Castillo. “Archer did. He called me a few days before Del died. Told me to get my affairs in order. Prick.”

“Did you tell Del that?”

“Hell yes,” Pettit answered with some heat. “I thought maybe that would get her to leave the bastard.” She shook her head as more tears fell. “Instead she shut down. Pulled away. She wouldn’t return any of my calls. Wouldn’t see me.”

“I’m sorry,” Nora said again. “For both of you.”

“What kind of life was that for a woman?” Pettit wanted to know. “All those years of being abused? He had her so terrified, so manipulated. It’s hard to believe someone can have that much control over another person.”

Nora took a breath. She had no answers. She had never met Delana Archer but she wished she could have known her a single day. Maybe, just maybe, she could have changed things, made a difference somehow for her. It was an irrational thought, but it made her feel like she’d failed Del somehow. Like the whole world had.

“We’ll keep you in the loop if there are any new developments we can share,” Nora offered as she handed the woman a tissue.

Tracy nodded wearily as she got to her feet. She wiped her eyes then balled the tissue up and stuffed it into a pocket along with her hand. “I feel like I let her down. You know? Like I should have tried harder to make her leave.”

“A person in that position has to be ready to get help.”

“She wasn’t,” Pettit said in a faint voice. “All that time she spent at Progressive House. All the good that she watched that place do for women just like her. I don’t get it.”

“I don’t, either. But you have to remember her husband terrorized her for years. That’s not something that’s easily overcome. He still had control of her… to a point,” Nora confessed as she looked speculatively at Pettit.

Tracy nodded once then headed for the door. She wasn’t surprised to see Georgia or Nikki standing on the other side of the glass. Nikki gave her a sympathetic smile and Pettit acknowledged it with a dip of her head before walking away.

“I think she cared about Del more than she knew,” Georgia murmured.

“I think she just figured that out,” Nikki quietly agreed.

 

****

Dan studied the piles of DVDs. There were a lot of them. Fifty in all. Fortunately many of them bore similar labels, suggesting different angles rather than even more victims.

Small comfort.

Somewhere in that pile was a visual record of what happened two nights ago.

The night Nora could have been killed.

He tried not to think about it in all the hours since but to little avail. She’d been his partner for five years. Five good years. Then he’d abandoned her for his ambitions.

It felt wrong. Knowing that someone else had Nora’s back. A new title and raise didn’t take away the instinct to protect her. It didn’t take away the feelings five years on the job with her had solidified in him like cement. She was his partner. Even now. Even if she didn’t see it that way anymore.

Even if he had to pretend otherwise.

He wondered if he should be the one to watch those DVDs. He knew he’d see them eventually. Should he just bite the proverbial bullet and get it over with? Or should he hand them off to Nikki, someone who had very little emotional investment as yet?

Then again, Nora had broken all kinds of rules trying to save Nikki’s ass the other night. Maybe Nikki wasn’t invested, yet, but Nora was obviously well on her way. She did take that whole “protect and serve” thing to the nth degree.

A door opened behind him and he turned to see Nora let Nikki enter first. They both pulled up when they saw him.

“Hey,” Nora said carefully.

Dan sighed as he came to a rapid decision, feeling just a bit like a coward for his choice. “Lots of footage to watch. I thought you guys could use a hand.” He noted the easing of the tension in his former partner’s shoulders and he smiled.

“Thanks,” Nikki said before Nora could respond. “We could use the extra eyeballs.”

Nora slowly nodded. “We’ll each take ten. Radek and Georgia skipped out for lunch but they’ll be back in a few.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Dan grabbed the first ten and handed them to Nikki. The second ten went to Nora. The third set he kept for himself. “How’d it go with Pettit?”

“It was interesting,” Nikki chimed in once more before Nora could answer. “She recognized Castillo.”

Nora glanced sideways at her partner, sensing Nikki was intentionally hiding Pettit’s comments about the list. She hadn’t planned on mentioning it either. Not until she had all her ducks in a row. Not until she was sure about the twisted idea in her head.

“That’s something,” Dan agreed. They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Finally he cleared his throat. “Well. I’ll just get to one of the media rooms…” He gave them a tight smile and brushed past them both. He gave Nora a swat on the butt, faking playfulness he didn’t feel.

Nora thumped him on the back of the head in response. That was one thing, at least, that hadn’t changed.

****

“How did…?” Nora started once Dan had left the room.

“You’ll share when you’re ready. I get it.” Nikki hefted the stack of DVDs then started past her partner.

Nora frowned at the odd tone that had been in her partner’s voice. She wanted to tell Nikki her messed up idea, but experience had long since taught her not to vocalize her thoughts until she knew they were facts. More than once she’d been tossed from a case for her outlandish theories. It didn’t matter that in the end she’d been right.

Nora stepped in Nikki’s path, effectively blocking her exit. “I…” She took a breath, compelled to explain in some way. She met Nikki’s brown gaze with her own and saw a shadow of hurt there, felt an answering ache in her own guts. “Nikki…”

Warm whiskey eyes softened. “I really do get it, Nora,” Nikki interrupted. “Just don’t leave me out here in the cold for too long. Okay?” She didn’t wait for an answer. In truth she was too afraid of what her partner might say. She stepped around Nora, getting a lungful of her perfume as she opened the door and left.

Nora stood still. She could hear the muted sounds from the bullpen down the hall. Phones rang. Voices carried and faded. Her eyes dipped to the stack of DVDs. She’d been burned enough. No need to get close to that fire again. Except…

Except she wanted to tell Nikki, to share her idea with her partner and hear her take on it. Nikki wasn’t Dan or any of the other men she’s been partnered with over the years. She deserved the benefit of the doubt. Hell, Nikki had earned it.

Nora sighed. One way or another she’d fill her partner in once she watched the DVDs.

Maybe by then she would believe her own crazy theory.

****

The Sprite was losing its bite. Nikki unconsciously winced at the stale flavor sliding across her tongue. The soft drink was warm now, having been opened four hours ago. Instead of chucking the can she left in on the coaster. Stale Sprite was probably just what her nauseous stomach needed.

She’d watched two people die in the last four hours. From multiple angles. The sounds they’d made… the pleas… the loved ones they’d called out for…

The detective rolled her tight shoulders then ran a hand through her dark, loose curls. Her thoughts threatened to turn toward her mother and she resolutely pushed them away. That was something she never wanted to imagine.

What her mother’s final moments had been like.

She licked her lips and kicked out the current DVD. So far she’d watched Thomas Mangold die again as well as Melissa Blevins – some poor college kid that got mixed up in drugs and sex and then ended up on the wrong side of Archer’s wrath. She’d called for her mommy. Again and again. Castillo buried a blade in her forty three times. Nikki knew she’d hear those cries in her sleep tonight.

She set the DVD aside not bothering with gloves. They’d already been swept for prints. The next DVD she picked up was blank. Nikki felt her heart kick against her ribs so hard she almost coughed.

The only blank DVDs had been from the alley.

“Just my luck,” she grumbled. Deliberately she put the DVD in the tray and slid it closed. The air-conditioned room, already only big enough for the door to open and to hold the table with the computer equipment, seemed to press in on her. When the DVD launched she hit play.

A tight shot of the fire escape.

Nikki felt her guts twist. She could hear the music from the nearby clubs and behind that the gathering storm. For four long minutes she stared at the empty space, waiting for the main player to take his stage. When he finally did she needed another sip of her stale soda. Castillo seemed like something the devil himself had sent. The flame tattoos that raced up his arms were visible in the low light, flickering like real fire in the flashes of lightning. He lifted his gun, grinning with anticipation as he watched and waited.

For her, Nikki realized with a faint shudder.

Another flash of lightning. Then he fired.

The lightning. Nora must have caught the glint off the muzzle of Castillo’s gun. That was all that saved her. All that saved them both.

She had to hit the space bar to stop the image and take a breath. “Why did you have to hand me the first stack?” she muttered to her absent captain before hitting play again.

For several minutes all she saw was Castillo firing. His features quickly lost their glee as his prey continued to elude him. He was reloading for the second time when Nora appeared behind him. Nikki felt her breath catch at seeing her partner, her face a mask of pure intent. Then Nora was moving, slamming into him with all the force her smaller frame could muster.

The gun skittered away. Nikki watched in sympathy as her partner was slammed against the doorway. Then covered her mouth when Castillo punched Nora in the stomach. She watched Nora slump to her knees, clearly in agony.

“Oh Jesus,” Nikki whispered as she continued to watch, horrified when she realized she’d almost shot her own damn partner.

Then time and the image stopped. Nikki felt her veins ice as she slammed the spacebar, freezing the image of Castillo with his gun to her partner’s temple. It had been that close. The gun had clicked impotently a second before she stilled the moment.

Nikki surged from her seat and bolted for the bathroom.


	14. Chapter 14

Nora sighed and leaned back from the computer. Her left hand massaged the back of her neck and she rolled her tight shoulders in a vain effort to ease some of the pounding headache throbbing behind her eyes. A short, quick breath lifted her bangs away from her forehead and she shivered in the air-conditioned room.

It was more than cool air making her cold, though.

This was hardly the first time she’d watched someone kill. Watched someone die. She’d held victims in her arms before as the life had fled from them, as their blood soaked her clothes and stained her hands.

A flash of Castillo’s eyes came to her, the shock in them when she’d shot him in the chest. The disbelief. The abrupt vacancy of what little soul he had a second before he’d gone over the rail. Even though he was trying to kill her… kill Nikki… she’d taken no pleasure in his death. No satisfaction. Not pulling the trigger had not been an option. That knowledge helped her sleep at night, but she knew those eyes would always haunt her, coming back into focus when she least expected them.

Another sigh. Nora picked up her Mountain Dew, hoping the caffeine might help with the headache. So far she’d watched Margaret Hainey die three times – each sickening rerun from a new angle. The one thing Castillo knew how to do as well as murder was finding ways to record it.

Unfortunately the mental and emotional torture she was putting herself through wasn’t paying off. Other than solidifying her opinion of Castillo as a sick fuck, the images weren’t yielding anything new.

She glanced back at the door. Nikki was across the hall. It had been almost four hours since they’d parted, stepping inside their respective rooms with all the enthusiasm of patients on their way to a root canal. She itched to check in with her partner, to see how Nikki was handling what had to be a new kind of horror for her.

With a snort she realized this was probably the longest she’d been away from Nikki and been awake since they’d become partners.

Nora rubbed her hands over her face then stared at the blank screen for a string of heartbeats. Finally she reached over and picked up the DVD with Delana Archer’s name scrawled in thick black letters across the surface. She popped the disc in the tray then took a slow breath before hitting play and watching another woman die.

But this time what she witnessed told her something. It told her that idea whispering to her from the back of her brain had merit. It told her that she knew deep in her now churning guts who had hired Castillo to kill Delana Archer. The truth brought unexpected tears to her eyes and made her throat tighten. Nora pressed the space bar to stop the image. She put her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, knowing that if she was right she had just discovered a new, desperate low that a person could sink to. The thought made her sick.

The only thing to decide now was when to share the disturbing idea with Nikki.

****

What little she’d forced down at Sweeny’s had made a very unwelcome return trip.

Nikki rinsed out her mouth then splashed cold water on her face. The liquid was icy enough that it shocked a startled gasp out of her and sharpened her senses. Her whole body was quaking hard, making her muscles tighten and ache. She took several deep breaths, trying to get her physical reactions under control.

There seemed to be little she could do about her emotional reaction, however.

It had been so close. Castillo could have blown Nora’s brains all over the fire escape just like he’d killed Thomas Mangold when he’d tired of playing with the banker. Her partner’s beautiful face could have been…

Nikki whimpered as another wave of nausea rolled up and almost out. She swallowed hard and willed it back. Moving away from the sink she got as far as the wall and slid down it onto the cold tile floor. “God, what the hell is wrong with me?” she whispered. “Get it together, Beaumont.” She ran her still wet hands through her hair, feeling them shake. She hoped like hell no one would come in and find her there, especially Nora.

The thought of Nora dying… it did something to Nikki on such a visceral level she barely knew what to do with herself. She wanted nothing more than to seek out her partner at that moment, prove to herself that Nora was still breathing.

A hard shudder racked through her and she clamped her teeth together doggedly. No. She wasn’t going to show weakness, not to Nora. She was finally where she’d always wanted to be, in a position where she could do the most good. She wasn’t going to screw that up by making the best damn detective in the precinct think that she couldn’t handle it.

“But you’re not,” Nikki hissed to the empty stalls. “You’re not handling it.” The knowledge nearly made her sick again. She dropped her head back, banging it slightly against the wall, and stared up at the aged ceiling. Taking several slow, measured breaths she finally felt her stomach settle.

In the quiet, Nikki admitted something to herself. There was something about Detective Nora Delaney that was under her skin. They hadn’t known each other a week, but her connection to her partner was something Nikki was already afraid to lose. She was beginning to crave the sight of Nora, found herself hard pressed not to touch her. Nikki had never been this distracted by another person before. She knew she was going to have to take the time to honestly analyze her feelings and how disturbingly deep they seemed to already be running but this moment wasn’t it. She had a killer to catch. Her damned nerves and feelings needed to wait.

With a shaky sigh she got to her feet. Satisfied that she was steady for the moment she headed back out into the bullpen. She grabbed a breath mint from her desk and sucked on it unenthusiastically. She’d have paid almost anything not to have to go back into that room and watch the rest of the recording, but there was no choice. She opened the door and stepped back inside.

And froze.

Nora was standing there, her green eyes glued to the still image of herself on the floor of the fire escape with a gun to her head. She turned and looked at Nikki when she heard her partner gasp. All shock at seeing herself like that evaporated when she got a look at her partner’s ashen features. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Nikki lied quickly. She brushed past Nora and snapped the monitor off.

They were both quiet a moment.

“Did…” Nora swallowed, completely thrown and unnerved by what she’d seen. “Did we get his confession on tape?” She cleared her throat.

“Yeah,” Nikki confirmed in a faint voice, her gaze fixed worriedly on Nora’s profile.

Nora cleared her throat again. “Sorry. Just wasn’t…”

Nikki shook her head, dismissing Nora’s needless apology. “It hasn’t been fun for me to watch, either,” she promised.

Pulled by a need she couldn’t define, Nora came closer, stopping well inside Nikki’s personal space. She glanced up into shadowed brown eyes, trying to imagine how she would feel if the roles were reversed. The thought of watching Nikki with a gun to her head made her nauseous. “We can hand these DVDs off to Georgia. Swap with her.”

Nikki stared into deep green eyes, taking comfort at the spark of life in them. She shook her head. “I don’t think it would be any easier for her to watch.”

Nora opened her mouth to say something only to realize she had no answers. “What a bitch of a case, huh?” she finally offered.

Nikki’s head dipped but when she looked back up through her bangs she was wearing a soft, lopsided smile. “This is all some sort of Special Crimes hazing ritual, right? First the body at the morgue. Then a hit put out on me. Then nearly getting whacked… my partner nearly getting whacked…” She went silent when Nora’s hand clamped playfully over her mouth. She pretended she didn’t feel tingles all the way to her toes from the touch.

Nora smiled, feeling some of the day’s tensions drifting away in the wake of her partner’s infectious grin. “You’re so inappropriate.”

A dark eyebrow lifted as Nora’s hand dropped away.

“You’re making me smile after I’ve been watching people get murdered. There is something wrong about that.”

“I’d say there is something very right about that,” Nikki disagreed with sudden intensity. “What are partners for?”

Nora studied her for a moment, charmed by the response. It was strange how much better she felt just being around Nikki. She sighed. “I watched a few more of the DVDs.”

Nikki thought that was obvious but didn’t say so. “And?”

“That idea I told you about? The one that hit me when we were in Castillo’s hidden room?”

Nikki’s heart skipped a beat. She could see that Nora was hesitant to share but was obviously making an effort with her. She hoped like hell she didn’t screw this moment up. “Yeah?”

“I think I know who hired Castillo to kill Delana Archer.”

“Who?” Nikki took a deep breath.

“Delana Archer.”

Her initial reaction was less than supportive so Nikki kept it from stumbling past her lips. “I don’t get it,” she drawled, her accent playfully thicker than normal.

Nora’s lips twitched. “How many murders did you watch?”

“Two and an attempt.” Nikki motioned at the now dark monitor.

“Castillo kept his victims alive in each case, right? Kept their mouths free so he could enjoy their screams?”

Nikki considered the questions and what import Nora was trying to convey. She cocked her head then her eyes widened marginally when the answer came to her. “He drugged Del. Why?”

“What if Delana drugged Delana? What if she gave herself that massive dose to make sure she’d feel nothing?” Nora felt her heartbeat pick up as she realized Nikki had already hopped on her train of thought almost effortlessly.

Nikki leaned back against the desk and crossed her arms. She ran the scenario in her head out loud. “Tracy tells Del that Richard has threatened her. Del feels powerless to do anything even though she could go to the police and have Archer nailed on any number of counts. Obviously a classic case of Battered Women’s Syndrome.”

“And let’s say that Del actually had feelings for Pettit. Maybe that finally, finally got through to that part of her soul that was still left. It made her scared. It made her angry.”

“She knew about the other murders. Probably had the whole time. Maybe she was keeping track. Hoping someday to tell someone.” Nikki shook her head in disbelief. “So she protects Pettit, gets away from her husband, and points the finger at him all in one very sick and sad way.”

Nora felt giddy. She’d never clicked with another partner like she was with Nikki at that moment. “She knows he’s got cops in his pocket.”

“So she has to do something splashy. Something that will get major media attention.” Nikki was entranced with the glint in Nora’s eyes. Nora was excited and she found the emotion was contagious. And she sensed she’d just passed a massive test with her partner with flying colors.

“So she hires Archer’s own man to do the deed. The only thing that stands out is the drug. He was brutal with her but if you watch the tape it’s methodical. He gets very little out of it.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Nikki muttered.

Nora smiled. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

Nikki’s gaze skimmed the angles of Nora’s face. “I think you’re freakishly brilliant.”

The smile got wider. “The only problem is proving it.”

“That will be a toughie,” Nikki agreed. “Seeing how the only person who could corroborate that is dead.”

“Do you think Archer knows his wife set him up?” Nora stepped around Nikki and leaned against the desk with her. Their shoulders touched.

“I think he suspects. I think that’s why he had Castillo killed. His man sold him out for money. I’ll bet you anything Castillo blackmailed him, too.”

“That was Castillo’s biggest mistake. If he’d kept his mouth shut no one would have been the wiser.”

“And he’d still be breathing and brandishing tacky tattoos.”

Nora stifled another smile. She glanced sideways at her partner. Nikki’s color looked better than when she’d walked in. In fact she looked pretty damn good all things considered. She shook off the thought but this time there was an odd twinge in her subconscious about her random musings. “So now what?”

Nikki looked at her. “We tie Archer to the other murders. It’s what Delana wanted. I’m kinda inclined to do it for her.”

“Damn,” Nora mused quietly, her mood darkening a little. “How desperate do you have to be to let someone do that to you?”

Nikki looked down at her loosely clasped hands. “I think we have the answer to that question, unfortunately.”

“I could be wrong,” Nora reminded her.

Nikki snorted.

That made Nora chuckle. She gave her partner a soft smile. “I’m an idiot, you know.”

The strange comment had Nikki’s gaze jerking back to Nora’s face. “What?”

“For thinking we wouldn’t work as partners.”

It was ridiculous, some part of her decided, how Nora could affect her so easily with mere words. “I knew you’d come around eventually,” Nikki affected in a bored tone.

“Don’t tell Dan, but you’re way smarter than he is.” Nora bumped her partner playfully in the side with her elbow.

Nikki bumped back. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Nora glanced at her watch. “I don’t know about you, but I need a break. We can come at this fresh in the morning.”

Reluctantly Nikki agreed. She tested her reserves and realized she now felt well enough to eat. “You hungry?”

“You haven’t spent enough time with me, yet?” Nora teased, pleased by the offer.

Not nearly enough, Nikki’s thoughts readily replied. “I’m hoping your brilliant detective skills will rub off on me.”

Nora draped an arm around Nikki’s shoulders and she gave her a quick squeeze. “I think you have more than a few of those skills without any help from me. Come on. I’m buying.”

 

****

The club was called Orange. Nikki wouldn’t have thought twice about it except it was a blues club. Warm fingers intertwined with her own as they stepped inside and Nikki twitched at both the contact and the now expected tingles that skittered up her arm. She rolled her eyes at herself as Nora led her through the packed room. Something smelled heavenly and the drinks she saw nearly everyone sporting made her mouth water. More than one person gave her a speculative glance as she passed and, with a start, she realized Nora had apparently dragged her to meat market night.

Nikki didn’t mind the looks directed her way, but she glared at more than one person who was eyeing Nora with interest.

Her partner seemed oblivious to the looks she was receiving. Nora threaded her way through the crowd with practiced ease. They came to a spiral staircase and ascended it quickly with only a brief pause where Nora caught the eye of a pretty, petite bartender. The woman waved and Nora returned the gesture before continuing onward and upward with Nikki willingly in tow.

The balcony seating was mostly empty with only a few couples enjoying the intimate setting. Candles lit the small tables for two but there was some castoff from the gas torches lining the walls below as well. Nikki wondered why it was so vacant up here when it offered such a nice view of the stage.

“Come here often?” Nikki was able to ask in an almost normal volume. Below it was too loud to be heard with the music being piped in and everyone talking.

Nora glanced back at her and gave her a kind of smile Nikki had never seen on her before. There was something almost dirty about it.

She liked it.

“Here.” Nora got them what Nikki would argue was the best seat in the house.

Nikki was surprised when Nora pulled out her chair for her. Feeling a thread of delicious danger slide through her, Nikki turned and gave her partner a rather dirty smile of her own over her shoulder. She was delighted when Nora paused in reaction, her green eyes sparkling with amusement as they held Nikki’s gaze for a string of heartbeats.

Nikki slowly sat, her smile still wide as Nora slid her chair up behind her. She looked up and locked eyes with her partner again as Nora took her own seat across from her. Below them a band was setting up on stage, but Nikki couldn’t look away from the green of Nora’s eyes or the way the light from the candle cast such interesting shadows over Nora’s sharp cheekbones. She looked beautiful.

Nora felt breathless at the way Nikki was gazing at her. She swallowed then licked her lips. “I come here sometimes when I need to unwind,” she explained to fill the electric silence between them. “I know the owner. She’s cool with letting me come up to get away from all the trollers.”

“Ah. I noticed we were being sized up like two slices of prime rib.” Nikki glanced around again and realized a New Orleans Saints player was sitting six feet away from them. They were in the VIP section, she realized.

“Speaking of prime rib,” Nora replied, both relieved and disappointed when Nikki finally released her gaze. “They have some pretty good food here.”

“So I smell.”

“Hey, girl.” The bartender had arrived. She was a small caramel colored woman with long dreads tied back. “You bring a friend tonight?” Her accent had a trace of the Caribbean to it.

“Imogene, may I introduce my new partner, Nikki Beaumont.” Nora offered Nikki a beaming smile.

Imogene turned to face Nikki full on and offered a hand tipped with impressively long blood-red nails. She was barely taller than five three even in heels, Nikki realized as she shook her hand. Nikki put her age around fifty although at first glance she would have guessed much younger.

“Nice to meet ya,” Imogene said. “Been awhile since this one has brought in a friend.”

Nikki looked at Nora with surprise and noted her partner blushing just a little in the low light. “Nice to meet you, too. Great place you have here.”

“Even better music, food, and drinks, pretty thing. Tell the girl what’s good here, officer. I’ll be back.” Imogene patted Nora on the shoulder before giving her a devilish wink that had Nora blushing even harder.

Nikki’s face was a full of mischief when she looked at Nora again. “So what’s good here, officer?” she teased with an intentionally bad impression of Imogene’s accent.

Nora shook her head the scratched the back of her neck, hoping the low light would hide the tinge of red on her cheeks. “The onion rings are a slice of heaven. And Imogene makes a mean Tom Collins.”

Below the band began to warm up as the music from the speakers faded off into nothing.

“Sold. Add in some chicken or steak and I’m there.” Nikki glanced over the rail. “Favorite band of yours?”

“The Reba Russell Band.”

Nikki lifted an eyebrow as she glanced back at her. “As in Reba the cat?”

“Yep.”

“Cool.” It was, Nikki decided. Nora was sharing this little part of her life with her. The truth of the moment gave Nikki an almost giddy feeling and she flashed a charming smile at her partner. “Can’t wait to hear her.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it by while they were in town,” Nora confessed. “I figured a meal, a quick drink and some nice music couldn’t hurt.”

“Not even a little,” Nikki agreed. “I’ve never been here.”

“Really?” Nora seemed surprised. “Don’t like blues?”

“Never really listen to it much, honestly. Zydeco – sure. Can’t get away from that… or jazz.”

The singer took the stage; a tall, white woman with dark hair tied back in a ponytail. She received a welcoming round of applause before chatting with the crowd for a few moments. Then the band ramped up and she cut loose.

“I know this one,” Nikki said in surprise.

“Take Me to the River. Everyone knows that one,” Nora replied in an elevated voice to be heard over the music. “Wait till she gets into her own stuff.”

Nikki leaned against the rail and watched the show, only faintly aware when Imogene returned and Nora ordered for them both.

As Imogene walked away, Nora took a moment to simply observe her partner. The light from the gas torches flickered on Nikki’s features, casting them in fascinating, shifting shadows. She really was a beautiful woman. She could have done anything… been anything… but Nikki had chosen the police force. She’d turned her back on her upbringing, her money, to try to make the world a little safer.

Nora’s eyes followed the path of Nikki’s long neck then down the “v” of the electric blue shell she was wearing. No wonder so many people turned their heads when Nikki sauntered by. Nora had even noticed her partner had a sexy swagger she suspected Nikki was completely unaware of.

For just a moment, Nora released the reins on her thoughts, letting them wander where they would as she watched her partner watching the show. Nikki had been honest that she’d found Nora attractive. That if they hadn’t been partners… Sitting there now, feeling the undeniable connection she had to this woman, Nora wondered if she would be tempted if they weren’t bound together by the badge. She’d never been with a woman before. Her upbringing had been pretty strict on such things so she had never really allowed herself to imagine the possibility.

What would it be like to feel Nikki in her arms? To kiss her? To lie naked, tangled up in her?

Nikki chose that moment to glance back at her and smile. Nora felt her heart lurch and she swallowed hard as a thick and heavy heat flashed through her body. She blinked before smiling hesitantly back.

“She’s good,” Nikki said, feeling her heart stutter at the interesting look on Nora’s features.

Russell ended the song then slid effortlessly into “Send Me Someone to Love.” Nora took a shaky breath then looked away as Imogene chose that moment to blessedly return with their food and drinks. Nora thanked her and immediately grabbed her glass, taking a healthy swallow.

Nikki wondered what was going through Nora’s mind. It was obviously something interesting if the flushed look on her face was any indication. Nikki licked her lips, feeling that thread of danger again. She wanted to yield to it, to toy with it. “You like to dance?”

Nora gave her a startled glance. The thought of being down on that floor, in that throng of people, moving in time to the slow sway of the music with Nikki’s body pressed close made her take another sip of her drink. She wished she could rein her thoughts back in, but they had taken their moment of freedom and run with it. “Yeah,” she confessed, her smoky voice huskier than normal.

Nikki noticed. She wasn’t naïve enough to assume any other reason for the change in energy between them, either. There was no mistaking the hungry look that had been in Nora’s eyes. Nikki just hadn’t expected to see it and certainly not directed at her.

Knowing she was attracted to Nora was one thing. Having that attraction returned was another. It made what was happening between them harder to resist. She took a sip of her drink. “Maybe we can go sometime,” she finally replied.

Nora watched her in the candlelight, feeling like she couldn’t catch her breath. “Sure.”

The alcohol warmed her as Nikki took another healthy sip of her Tom Collins. She really needed to stop thinking about Nora like that. It wasn’t going to happen. Fantasizing about it was just going to get her in trouble. They worked too well as partners to fuck that up with sex and the inevitable messy breakup. To give herself something else to focus on, she popped a small onion ring into her mouth. “Damn.” She chewed with enthusiasm, pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

“Told you it was good,” Nora said on a relieved laugh as Nikki made a show of going for another.

“Thanks for bringing me here, partner,” Nikki said with a smile. “This is just what I needed after the day I had.”

Nora smiled bashfully back. “Thanks for coming with me.”

“We kicked ass today,” Nikki proclaimed.

“That we did,” Nora agreed with a hint of wonder. She held up her glass. “Here is to more ass kicking tomorrow.”

Nikki grinned and clinked her glass against her partner’s before taking a sip. “We’re going to get justice for Delana,” she said.

Nora nodded. “You’re damn right we are.”


	15. Chapter 15

The door closed softly in the quiet of the late hour. Nikki leaned back against it, taking a few breaths to gather her weary reserves before trudging through the rest of her condo to the bedroom. The clacking of claws on wood reached her and she smiled unconsciously as Nestor came trotting toward her from the kitchen.

“Hey, boy.” With a sigh she slid down to her knees. The dog picked up his pace and quickly joined her, licking her chin with delight. “You and Darius have fun hanging out?”

Nikki smiled and scratched him under his collar. A quick glance at the time on her DVR revealed it to be almost one in the morning. She’d stayed way too late at the club with Nora. But the food had been good. The music even better. And the company…

Nikki sighed again. Barely able to keep her eyes open, she’d stubbornly stayed until closing just to be near Nora for as long as possible. It wasn’t smart. In fact, it was damn near dangerous, she admitted. Her attraction to Nora was starting to get a little out of hand. They’d been together for only about a week and already she found herself looking for excuses to touch Nora. To stand close to her. To just… talk to her. It was the last that was the most disturbing. When it came to the men and women she usually got hot and bothered over, talking was the last thing she cared about.

Not so with Nora.

She liked Nora’s voice. Found she could listen to it for hours. It was slightly raspy with a hint of smoke and honey. Sexy as all hell.

Nestor nudged her and she snapped back to the present. “Want a treat?” she asked him as she followed his almost prancing form into the kitchen. She reached into a cookie jar and passed him the biscuit she recovered inside. He munched happily as he sauntered off toward the living room.

The refrigerator sent a puff of cold air over her as she opened it to retrieve a bottle of water. She gave the door a bump with her hip to close it before wearily moving toward the bedroom. Shucking her jacket and dumping her purse with it on the bed she headed for the master bathroom.

Thoughts of Delana Archer soon intruded as she went through her nightly rituals. Truthfully they had rarely been far as the evening progressed. The images she’d seen today… She knew what horrors one human could inflict on another, but seeing it so graphically depicted… knowing that it was real and not some gory movie… it disturbed her on levels she knew she’d never suspected she had.

A few minutes later she stepped into the spray of the shower, needing the comfort of at least feeling clean even if her conscience couldn’t be so easily rinsed of the dirty and disgusting images that plagued her.

Did Delana really hire Castillo to kill her? To mutilate her that way? To violate her body like that?

She was used to it, some practical part of Nikki’s psyche replied.

It was a pitiful thought and Nikki felt the unexpected sting of tears in reaction. “Damn it, Del. Why didn’t you let someone help you? Why the hell didn’t I see what he was doing to you?” she whispered into the steam. In the pit of her soul she knew Nora’s theory was right, but it did nothing to make the very wrongness of it all feel any better.

A bark drew Nikki out of her musings. A cold shiver slithered down her spine and Nikki shut off her shower instantly. She stood there, listening as the water trickled down the drain between her feet.

A low growl came from the other side of the bathroom door.

Liquid fear poured over her. It paralyzed her for a string of heartbeats before the cop in her came awake and shoved the feeling aside.

Nikki stepped out of the shower and slipped on a pair of sweats she had nearby without drying off first. Her gun was on the counter and she slid it from its holster just as Nestor growled and barked again.

She palmed her cell phone as she aimed her weapon at the closed door. Barefoot, Nikki edged closer to the doorknob. She knew she might be overreacting, but she wasn’t taking any chances. With a vicious jerk of the knob she flung the door open, startling her dog as she lunged into the bedroom.

It was empty.

She glanced at Nestor who scrambled closer and leaned against her leg.

He was shivering.

Nikki swallowed hard and clicked the safety off her nine-millimeter.

It was that moment her phone rang.

Nikki jumped then swore when she saw Darius’ number. She kept her gun at the ready but flipped the phone open one-handed. “Darius this isn’t…”

“Get out!” Her friend cut her off. “Get out of the house!”

Nikki didn’t think twice. She hung up the phone, grabbed her purse and her dog and ran.

She hit the concrete steps with Nestor in tow. The stoop was cold and wet under her bare feet as she scrambled down it. Footsteps were pounding toward her and another sound started to intrude under the singing of the blood in her ears.

Fire.

“Sonofabitch,” she hissed when she realized flames were shooting up from behind her condo. She staggered back, almost tripping as she stumbled off the curb. A solid presence hit from behind but she didn’t flinch, recognizing on some instinctive level that it was Darius. His hands came down on her shoulders.

“Fire department is on its way,” he said breathlessly.

“Watch Nestor,” Nikki ordered as she sprinted for her nearest neighbor.

“Nikki!” Darius started after her but found himself gripping the dog by the collar as Nestor tried to follow his master.

****

Edgy with thickening panic, Nora shoved her way through the gathered crowd. Clad in threadbare jeans, a white tank and her dark leather jacket she looked startlingly out of place with the robed rich mingling on the sidewalk thirty yards or so from Nikki’s home. She reached yellow police tape whipping in the breeze and mist from multiple fire hoses. Ducking under it she came up on the other side, her gaze frantic to spy a tall, familiar figure.

A barking dog caught her attention first. She turned and saw the blonde mutt yapping at the back of an ambulance. Her heart leapt into her throat as her legs moved automatically toward the scene. As she grew closer, she realized Darius had hold of the dog. The knowledge made her nearly sick with fear.

“Darius!”

His head lifted and his eyes locked with hers a moment later. She jogged to him, stunned at the level of damage to her partner’s home. If Nikki had been inside…

Darius crooked his chin at the ambulance as Nora reached him. She turned and felt relief sweep through her so hard it made her tremble. “Jesus.”

Nikki glanced up from the back of the ambulance. She was sitting on the bumper, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands and a green woolen blanket around her shoulders. Her face was pale and smudged with soot and her feet were bare and bruised but she otherwise seemed fine.

“Hey,” Nikki croaked when she saw her partner. She cleared her throat, wincing at the burn and the taste of smoke.

Nora sat down on the bumper next to her, afraid her legs wouldn’t hold her if she’d tried to keep standing. “You okay?” Unthinkingly she reached out and cupped Nikki’s face in her left hand, tilting Nikki’s features gently toward the light so she could assess the damage. Nikki’s skin was cool and wet to the touch, raising Nora’s protective instincts. She clutched the ends of the blanket and pulled them tighter around her partner. When she risked another glance into Nikki’s eyes she saw bemusement there. “What?”

“Thanks, mom,” Nikki teased as she soaked up Nora’s nearness. She’d felt heat flush through her, warming her nicely, when Nora touched her.

Nora blushed but she kept fiddling with the blanket. The irrational urge to bundle the other woman up and hug her close was practically making the seasoned officer twitch. “What the hell happened?” Nora demanded in an effort to regain some dignity.

“My condo burned down,” Nikki replied matter-of-factly. She motioned Darius to let go of her dog and he did. Nestor bounded over then sat at her feet, looking up at her adoringly as she rubbed his ears.

“By accident?”

Nikki met Nora’s intense gaze again. “I’m going to guess not. I was in the shower when it started.”

That explained the bare feet, Nora realized absently. “Archer has gone too far this time.”

“This time?” Darius finally approached after giving the two women a moment of privacy.

Nora allowed that her comment sounded rather dumb when put that way.

“Nestor let me know there was something wrong. Didn’t you, boy?” Nikki asked the dog who wagged his tail happily through a dark puddle of water.

Nora finally took in the dog. There was nothing about him that suggested anything even close to purebred. He was just a mutt. That made her smile. One more way Nikki had rebelled against her rich upbringing, Nora realized. She reached out and let the dog sniff her hand then laughed a little when he licked it and his tail thumped harder. “Good dog,” she drawled. “I owe you the biggest bone I can find.” She sensed Nikki looking at her and she turned her head. Their gazes met and held and Nora felt something fundamental in her soul shift before Nikki blinked and looked away.

“Then Darius called me. Told me to get out,” Nikki said quietly. She could feel her heart hammering as she tried to look anywhere but at Nora. The silent but electric moment that had just passed between them had left her breathless and more than a little confused.

Nora looked at Darius. “Looks like I owe you a treat as well.”

Darius smirked before glancing back at the charred remains of Nikki’s home. The flames had done serious damage to three of the neighbors as well. Had Nikki not gotten them out when she did, Archer might have added another murder or two to his list. “I’ll settle for that bastard’s ass behind bars. And a picture of you gals from your photo shoot, of course.”

“Fine,” Nora growled playfully. She glanced at Nikki again and caught her partner watching her. Something about just making eye contact with the other woman was doing funny things to her breathing.

“Oops. Gotta split, ladies. I’ll call you,” Darius said before unexpectedly disappearing into the crowd.

“What was that about?” Nora got out just before Dan rounded the corner and looked down at them. “Hi,” she blurted.

“Hey,” their boss said. His gaze sharpened on Nikki. “Why aren’t you on your way to the hospital?”

“I’m good,” Nikki answered. “I’m a little banged up, and I’ll probably have a sore throat for a day or two but that’s the worst of it.”

Dan looked at his officer’s bare feet and frowned. His gaze went to the dog whose eyes were closed in bliss as the two women petted him. “Can I give you a ride somewhere? Family? A friend’s house?”

“She’s staying with me,” Nora answered easily. She felt as much as saw Nikki turn her head and look at her.

“Oh,” Dan murmured. “That… makes sense.” Honestly it didn’t. Nora was never crazy about sharing her space. Especially with relative strangers. “I can have some black and whites for added protection.”

“Sure.”

“Not necessary.”

Nikki and Nora gave each other scolding glances.

“You’ll get the units. And you’ll like ‘em. That’s an order,” Dan told Nikki who rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

Nora smirked. She slipped off the back of the ambulance and got to her feet. “Did you watch any more of the DVDs?”

Dan nodded slowly. “That’s why I was awake,” he confessed. “Couldn’t get that shit out of my mind.” He didn’t bother to tell her the latest images had been of Nora with a gun to her head.

Nora wordlessly touched his arm and offered her former partner an understanding smile. “Right there with you.”

He smiled back at Nora and Nikki had to look away. They did make a handsome couple, she begrudgingly admitted. The thought didn’t stop her from wanting to knee Dan in the nuts at that moment, however.

“You ready?” Nora asked. “Do you still need to give your statement?”

“I did already. I even called my daddy. I told him not to come, but I’ll need to call him again when we get to your place.” Nikki started to get to her feet.

“Ah-ah.” Dan put his hand on Nikki’s shoulder to keep her from standing. “Nora, get the dog.” Without waiting for permission, Dan slipped his arms around Nikki and hefted her up.

Nora almost laughed at the looked of confused outrage on Nikki’s face. She gripped Nestor’s collar and started walking away from the scene.

“Captain, this is nice and all, but I really don’t need you to do your best Prince Charming impression.” Nikki winced as he started carrying her toward the gaggle of neighbors who were sure to be gossiping like crazy about this turn of events for weeks.

“Shut up, Detective,” Dan said easily. “I’m just enhancing your reputation.”

“More like vise versa,” Nikki drawled.

“Come on, Beaumont. Your chariot awaits.”

“Looks like an El Camino to me.”

*****

Nikki watched with some amusement as Nora shut the door behind her then started scurrying around the apartment, trying to pick up the place a little. There was a trail of discarded clothing leading to the bedroom. She recognized the shirt Nora had worn earlier that night, and she couldn’t help but smirk as her partner snatched it up and flung it into the laundry room.

“You hungry?” Nora asked when she saw nothing else too embarrassing lying about. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket, unsure what to do with them or herself at the moment. There was something different about having Nikki here now. A hyper awareness of the other woman’s presence that played on her nerves and made them strum.

“Some water…” Was all Nikki got out before Nora obligingly bolted for the kitchen. She smiled. She was making Nora nervous. She rather liked that fact.

Still barefoot, Nikki followed Nora into the kitchen as Nestor finally left her side and began to sniff this new, unexplored territory. “Hey,” Nikki said softly as she watched Nora filling a glass with ice. “Please don’t go to any trouble for me.”

“No trouble,” Nora answered as she grabbed a pitcher from the fridge and filled the glass. Her hands were shaking and she hoped Nikki didn’t notice. The truth was she’d run into a burning building for her partner. Getting a glass of water was chump change.

Nora handed Nikki the glass and stepped back, putting some distance between them. She’d been lying in bed, wide-awake, when she’d received the call about the fire. Sleep had refused to come as her mind tumbled and sorted through her thoughts and emotions about her new partner. She couldn’t get Nikki out of her mind. The way she’d looked at the club. The teasing smile she was becoming so fond of. The sharp mind and even sharper wit. And her damn eyes. Those eyes that drew her in and convinced her with just a look to say and do things she normally wouldn’t.

Nikki sipped the cold water, grateful for its chill on her burning throat. “Thanks,” she said in a raspy voice. She quirked a half grin. “Maybe I should redo my voice message right now. I couldn’t sound this sexy again if I tried.”

It was a joke but the reaction it caused deep in Nora’s belly was anything but funny. She swallowed roughly. “Kind of Kathleen Turner,” she managed to reply.

“I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way,” Nikki purred the line from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Nora had to laugh. She shook her head. “You want a bath?”

“Seeing as how I never finished my shower that would be great.” Nikki thought about teasingly asking Nora to join her but her partner was as skittish as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Maybe Nora was finally catching on to the electric energy that always seemed to pulse between them. It had been especially intense at the club.

In fact it seemed especially intense now.

From the other room Nestor barked.

“Uh… I think my dog just found your cat.”

“Right.” Nora gave her an apologetic look then brushed past her and headed for the back of the apartment.

Nikki smiled again then wearily rolled her neck and shoulders. It had been one hell of a day. The full impact of how it had ended had curiously yet to hit her, but she was sure it was coming. That knowledge left her grateful that Nora would be close by when it did.  
For now, she realized as she took another long draw on her water, she was blissfully numb to everything accept Nora.

With a minute shake of her head, Nikki turned and wandered out of the kitchen. She discovered her partner in the bedroom and had to bite back a laugh. Nora was on all fours and next to her, in almost exactly the same position, was Nestor. Both of them were peering under the bed. Nikki would have given anything at that moment for a camera.

Nora heard the footsteps and glanced up. “Reba’s a little pissed.”

Nikki bit her lip. “Sorry. I should just go to my daddy’s.”

Nora rose up on her knees. “I… I mean… I can take you if that’s where you want to be. It’s just…” she trailed off, unsure how to put into words how much she needed to be around Nikki right now, how much she needed to be able to watch over her.

Nikki sat on the edge of the bed. “I just don’t want to be in your way.”

Nora edged forward on her knees until she was kneeling in front of her partner. “You’re not.”

Nikki glanced into the depths of her water. “Maybe I should take myself off this case.” The sudden touch of Nora’s hands on her thighs nearly made Nikki come out of her skin. She gasped softly in surprise, feeling the heat of the other woman’s palms radiating through her damp sweatpants and spreading a warm glow over her skin.

“Like hell.” Nora’s green eyes were as serious as Nikki had ever seen them. “Listen to me. I know this case is fucked up. I know it has to be messing with your confidence. But you haven’t done a damn thing wrong. There has not been a single misstep on your part. Believe me, I’ve been looking.”

The taller detective said nothing. She could only stare, caught in Nora’s intense regard.

“The truth is without you on this case Archer would have simply walked. He has an alibi. You know him. You rattle him. Because of you we won’t just solve Delana’s murder, we’ll solve six more.”

Nikki studied the angles of Nora’s face. Her partner believed every word. She could see the truth in the set of her jaw, the fierce glint in her eyes. “I’ve become a part of the case, Nora. Archer won’t stop until I’m on his list of victims. I don’t want anyone I care about to get caught in the crossfire.”

“Pulling yourself off this case won’t change that,” Nora answered with brutal honesty.   
“You’ll just leave me without someone to watch my back and Archer with a chance to get away with everything he’s done.” Nora eased closer tightening her grip on Nikki’s thighs. “You want to protect yourself and your friends and family you will help me take him down. It’s the only way.”

Nikki licked her suddenly dry lips before dipping her head and kissing Nora lightly on the cheek. She pulled back just enough so she could see her partner’s eyes. “Thanks,” she whispered.

Nora felt her brain short in reaction to the firing of ever nerve in her body. It was physical overload. She blinked and took an unsteady breath. The urge to close the distance between them, to see if Nikki’s lips felt half as soft as they had on her cheek… She physically jerked herself up to her feet, hoping like hell she didn’t look like she was running. “You’re welcome.” She winced when she heard the croak in her voice.

Nikki dipped her head in an effort to hide her knowing grin. Yeah, Nora was on to the chemistry between them. And it was freaking the shorter woman out. A part of her felt guilty for savoring the knowledge but the rest of her was too pleased to care. “I’m going to go get that bath.”

“Right.” Nora nodded stupidly. Nikki brushed past her a moment later, their shoulders touching. Heat washed through the blonde at the touch. She allowed herself a shiver when Nikki was gone. Raking her hands through her hair, she took another deep breath. Her eyes darted toward the hallway when she heard the water start.

Nestor bumped her knee with his nose and Nora looked down at the animal with bewilderment. She’d almost forgotten he was there. “Hey, boy.”

He woofed softly and nudged her again. Nora sank once more to her knees and scratched the blonde mutt behind the ears. “I’m glad you and your mama made it out of there okay.” She heard Reba release a low growl from under the bed. “We’re pissing off my cat.”

Nestor sneezed then continued to pant in pooch bliss as Nora rubbed his right ear.

Nora listened to the sounds of Nikki moving around in the bathroom. She heard the faucet shut off followed by the distinct sound of a figure submerging into the water.

Heat flushed through her again as her thoughts went right to what she would see in the steaming bath should she walk in there right now.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. The truth hit her like a police baton to the head. She was attracted to Nikki. Seriously attracted. This was more than faint curiosity.

“Shit,” Nora muttered, wondering what in the hell she was supposed to do now.

Nestor merely sneezed again.

****

Half an hour later, Nikki found her partner in the kitchen. There was an open bottle of scotch on the table, an empty glass with ice waiting for her. She shot Nora a bemused glance as she accepted the silent offer and sunk into the chair next to the blonde. Nora was halfway through her own glass. As Nikki picked up the bottle, her partner polished off what was left, the ice clinking as she did so.

“More?” Nikki asked.

“Set me up, bartender,” Nora drawled as she slid the glass to Nikki.

The taller woman grinned as she filled the tumbler then sent it sliding back. She poured her own then took a sip, enjoying the warm rush that flowed through her as it hit her stomach. “That’s good stuff.”

“I might skimp on clothes but my liquor is top notch.” Nora didn’t mention that she was already on her third glass. The alcohol had eased her nerves regarding Nikki’s proximity in the wake of Nora’s epiphany about her partner. She knew she needed to cut herself off, though, on the chance that the liquor might get her to act on something she knew she couldn’t and shouldn’t.

Nikki smiled as she took another sip. “Quite a day, huh?”

“More so for you than me.”

A one-shoulder shrug was Nora’s response. “It was just a place. It wasn’t home.”

“It wasn’t?”

“I never even put pictures out,” Nikki admitted. “I mean, I liked the place. It was nice, and I’m pissed as hell Archer burned it to the ground, but I’m angrier about the fact he almost took some of my neighbors out in the process.”

Nora made an approving sound but said nothing.

“I don’t know. The only place I’ve ever felt at home is the Beaumont estate. If Archer had tried to torch that…” Nikki sighed and put her chin on her fist. “I’d be over there shooting his ass right now.”

It was Nora’s turn to smile. She studied Nikki’s profile, aware of a burning in her belly that had nothing to do with the alcohol. What was happening between them was dangerous. That was a line Nora had carved in the sand a long time ago. She’d spent five years refusing to cross it with Dan. Now she was thinking about leaping across after only a week with her new partner.

A woman for crying out loud.

What in the hell was the matter with her? Nora snorted at herself then realized Nikki was looking at her expectantly. “I think I need a vacation,” she explained.

A grin quirked Nikki’s lips. “You and me both, sugar.” Nikki polished off the rest of her scotch then set the glass down. “I’m whipped. I’m going to turn in.”

“Sure.” Nora capped the bottle then took their glasses to the sink. Emboldened by the drink she offered her hand to Nikki. “Need a boost?”

Nikki stared at those long tapered fingers for a moment before slowly sliding her palm into Nora’s. With a quick tug she was up on her feet, nearly stumbling into her partner. They stared at each other for several unsteady breaths. “Nora,” Nikki heard herself say. “There is no reason to freak out.” It wasn’t remotely true, for either of them, Nikki admitted, but she wanted to put Nora at ease. They were both in no condition to deal with whatever was happening between them tonight.

Nora swallowed hard. “About what?” she rasped.

“Nothing is going to happen,” Nikki said gently and with a touch of honest regret to her voice. “We both know it can’t.”

Christ, Nora thought. Oh Christ. She wasn’t sure what to say, what to do. Confess? Deny? Run like hell? “You want something to happen?” was what slipped out.

Nikki almost laughed when her partner realized she’d asked the question out loud. “If we weren’t partners… yeah,” she practically whispered. Incapable of stopping herself, Nikki reached out and tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind Nora’s ear and let her fingertips run down the length of her partner’s chiseled cheek. “But we are. And I know we both know that.”

Nora had to remind herself to breathe when Nikki touched her. She wasn’t used to this kind of honesty and frankly didn’t know how to react to it. “I’m straight,” she said hesitantly.

Nikki just smiled.

“At least I thought I was,” Nora confessed in a confused tone.

A warmth stronger than any scotch could produce flooded through the taller woman. She shook her head. “As long as we’re partners you might as well be. I won’t cross the line.” Even though she really, really wanted to. “We just… we click in a way that’s very rare. There is something very appealing about that.”

“Simpatico,” Nora murmured.

“Yeah. I like it. I don’t want to mess that up.”

What if it only got better, some traitorous part of Nora’s mind whispered. She tunneled her hands through her hair. “I can’t believe you called me on it,” she finally muttered. “You keep me on my toes, Beaumont.”

“I didn’t want to share a bed with that elephant in the room.”

Nora laughed. She did feel her nerves settling slightly and was pretty sure the alcohol had next to nothing to do with it. “Fair enough. You trust me sleeping next to you?” she teased faintly.

“You trust me sleeping next to you?” Nikki volleyed.

They smiled at each other.

“I’ll risk it,” Nora replied.

Nikki stared at her for a long moment, wanting to kiss her so much it hurt. She shook her head. “Shame,” she managed to joke. “I could teach you a thing or two.” She watched in delight as Nora audibly gulped and blushed.

“I don’t doubt it.” Nora’s voice was huskier than normal.

With a regretful sigh, Nikki brushed past her partner and headed for Nora’s bed.

Nora turned and watched her go, biting her lip as she watched the sway of Nikki’s hips. Nora didn’t know if she should go after her or finish off the rest of her Scotch and sleep on the couch. She took a shaky breath when she heard Nikki moving around in the bedroom, no doubt changing into the jersey Nora had left out for her. She ran a hand over her mouth and turned away, returning to the table and slumping into her chair, her legs trembling so hard they could barely hold her upright.

Nora put her elbows on the table then dropped her head into her hands. She couldn’t do this. As much as she wanted to, as curious as she was, she simply could not cross that line. It was attraction. It would wane. She just had to give it time. Her body shuddered, displeased at being denied what it wanted.

Nikki was a damn good partner. Maybe the best she’d ever had. Throwing that away for sex… It wasn’t worth it. And God… what would her family think?

Nora groaned and let her head slip through her hands to bang on the table. With a sigh she got up from the table and went to retrieve her glass of scotch. She was going to need it to sleep next to temptation tonight.


	16. Chapter 16

Nora shot up from an uneasy sleep, heart slamming against her sternum, at Nikki’s soft cry. Her partner was thrashing next to her, caught in some kind of subconscious hell as her mind dealt with the day’s events in the only way it could.

“Nikki.” Nora rolled up on her side, wincing a little as a spasm tore through her still sore ribs. “Nik, wake up.”

Nikki was under too far and didn’t respond. She made another tiny sound that caused Nora’s heart to feel like it was ripping in two to hear. Nora sat up further then grabbed her partner’s hands, trying to keep from getting inadvertently punched.

“Nikki!”

The thrashing instantly ceased, leaving behind Nikki’s harsh breathing. A soft, wounded sound came from the dark haired woman. Nora bit her lip and let go of Nikki’s hands. She could tell her partner wasn’t fully awake but at least she was out of the worst throes of the nightmare.

Nora heard Nestor whine from Nikki’s side of the bed. “Shhh. It’s okay, boy,” she promised.

As Nora watched, Nikki curled into a fetal position. The seasoned detective didn’t know what to feel as she watched her partner. A part of her felt like crying at the sight, another wanted nothing more than to get dressed, go find Richard Archer and kill the bastard.

There was no concern on her part that this moment was a sign of weakness in Nikki. Nora knew she still had plenty of nightmares of her own. It was when those dreams stopped, when the job no longer affected her, then Nora would know it was time to walk away.

Nora eased her fingers through Nikki’s bangs, brushing them away from her partner’s damp forehead before raking her hands through her own hair. She watched Nikki sleep, troubled to see the furrow still in place on Nikki’s brow. The worst of the nightmare might have relinquished its hold, but Nikki’s dreams were still obviously far from sweet.

Nora bit her lip again. What she was contemplating was not a good idea. It was taking another step up to that line she swore she wouldn’t cross. She scooted a little closer and looked down into Nikki’s features, seeing the drying tears on the other woman’s cheeks. The sight twisted her heart so hard she could barely breathe.

With a sigh, Nora shifted and settled back down on her side. Her mind made up, she didn’t hesitate as she slowly and carefully spooned against her partner, her left hand easing around Nikki’s waist. Their bare legs came into contact and the heat from the touch caused chills to chase their way up and down Nora’s skin. Nikki sighed in her sleep and the tension in her frame relaxed as she slumped back into Nora’s body with relief.

Nora swallowed hard. This close, she could smell the lingering traces of Nikki’s perfume on her partner’s throat. Nikki was soft and warm and felt sinfully good in her arms. The sensations coursing through her, the feel of Nikki’s body against her own… Nora knew she could get frighteningly addicted to both.

She closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to come quickly.

****

When Nora opened her eyes again it was to the sound of purring. She took in the gray, early morning light filtering in past her closed blinds before glancing down and discovering Reba curled behind her legs. The familiar sight brought a fleeting smile to her face. She reached back with her left hand and scratched the cat idly on the head. The purring ramped up to near obscene levels. Nora’s smile widened as she leaned back and glanced over the side of the bed when she heard snoring. Nestor was lying on the floor. His feet kept twitching as he chased some imaginary critter through his doggie dreams.

No longer able to put off the inevitable, Nora rolled back over and looked at her partner. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if she’d woken still wrapped around the other woman. Nikki was now facing her, one hand curled under her chin as the dark haired woman slept.

She looked utterly beautiful.

Nora closed her eyes and mentally cursed herself for the thought.

With a sigh, Nora checked her watch and saw she only had about fifteen minutes before the alarm. Deciding it was pointless to try to go back to sleep, she slipped from the bed and quickly changed into a pair of sweats and her tennis shoes. She was still in no condition to run after her tussle with Castillo, but she could take the dog out for a nice long walk. She shut off the alarm before quietly beckoning Nestor to follow. He trotted after her happily.

After rummaging around for five minutes, Nora finally found a leash that she still had from her beloved dog Sam. He’d passed away years ago and she was glad she’d held onto the memento. She snapped the leash on Nestor’s collar, wrote a quick note for Nikki, and they were out the door.

It had rained again during the night. The air still smelled of it as Nora took a deep breath. The sidewalks were wet and she felt the occasional drop splatter on her clothes or face as they fell from the trees and heavy hanging Spanish moss above.

Nora walked the dog for nearly half an hour, trying to wake her mind up while putting her inappropriate thoughts of Nikki Beaumont to sleep. She wasn’t much successful at accomplishing either.

She stepped back inside with the dog, but rather than go upstairs Nora sat down on the steps. Nestor came closer, bumping one of her hands in mute request. Nora scratched him under the collar. “You’re a cute one, you know,” she whispered.

Nestor sneezed.

“Thanks for saving your momma last night.” Nora took a moment to push remembered horror to the back of her mind. When she’d seen Nikki’s brownstone… she hadn’t felt fear that intense in a long time. Not even the encounter with Castillo on the fire escape had scared Nora like that. She looked at the dog again and found Nestor watching her with seemingly knowing eyes.

“What?” Nora asked. “Just because I think your mom is…” She hesitated. “Cute,” she confessed after a reluctant moment. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it.”

Nestor tilted his head and looked at her.

“She’s my partner. It’s not going to happen.”

Nestor sneezed again.

“Although I wish…” Nora shook her head. “No. I don’t wish anything. Scratch that.”

A sound from the upstairs landing made Nora turn her head and look up. Nikki was standing there, her shoulder leaned up against the wall. She was still wearing the jersey, her long legs very much in evidence. Nora felt her throat go dry at the angle and view she was presented with. “How long have you been there?” She winced when her voice cracked.

Nikki merely smiled.

Nora felt herself blush then cursed inwardly. She got to her feet and trudged up the steps with Nestor in tow. A sleepy smile was waiting for her when she arrived and for a brief instant Nora almost chucked caution to the wind and kissed her. They stared at each other for a moment, but it was Nikki who looked away first, returning inside Nora’s apartment.

“So…” Nikki swallowed and turned to look at Nora as her partner entered the room. She took an unsteady breath as Nora simply looked at her. The heat between them was thick and heavy this morning, and Nikki wanted nothing more than to yield to it. She wanted to take Nora’s hand, lead her back to the still warm bed and explore every inch of that toned body. She shook her head a little. “Um… thanks,” she finally managed. “For letting me stay over.” She wanted to thank her partner for being there during the night, but Nikki suspected Nora wouldn’t want her to mention it.

Nora eased to her knees and unclipped Nestor’s leash. She watched him trot to the water bowl she’d put down the night before for him. “Not a problem.” With a breath she looked up at her partner, trying to ignore the long legs in front of her.

They stared at each other for another moment.

“This is… hard,” Nikki said after a silent minute caught in Nora’s intense regard. She watched as Nora got to her feet.

“We’ll get past it,” Nora promised. “It’s…” she shook her head. “It’s just a physical thing, right?”

Was it? Nikki wasn’t so sure and the knowledge scared the hell out of her. She didn’t fall in love. In lust, hell yes, but love was not something she allowed herself. It didn’t last anyway. It either faded or was taken from you. “Right,” she answered slowly.

Nora took another unsteady breath. “I… You’re…” She closed her eyes then shook her head, a tiny, rueful smile on her features. “I know we’ve only been partners a week here… but…”

“Yeah,” Nikki agreed.

Nora nodded. “We… we can’t be… selfish.”

“Selfish, right.” Nikki licked her lips and looked down at her bare feet.

“The job comes first,” Nora added, knowing that Nikki believed the same thing. The job always came first. At least it was supposed to…  
“I just… um…” Nikki decided that the room suddenly seemed to possess too little air. “So no pressing you up against any walls and kissing you breathless. Got it.”

The image made the breathing in question arrest. A tiny noise emerged from the back of Nora’s throat and Nikki looked at her again. This time a devilish smile graced her features.

“Yeah,” Nikki drawled. “The idea has crossed my mind.”

Nora cleared her throat. “You should probably keep ideas like that to yourself,” she suggested in a weak voice.

Nikki just smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Nora’s phone trilled into the sudden, intense silence. The two women looked at each other for another long moment before Nora turned and walked away.

The blonde snatched up her phone and flipped it open. “Delaney,” she answered. Her green gaze darted to Nikki as a frown suddenly formed. “Where?”

****

“Archer has been busy,” Nikki muttered. She shouldered open the car door and stepped out into the morning sunlight. The smell of smoke and charred wood greeted her and both brought back an intense rush of memories from last night.

“You okay?” Nora asked over the roof of the car as she climbed out as well.

“I will be when he’s behind bars,” Nikki practically growled.

Nora’s left eyebrow elevated but she made no further comment as she shut her door. They both came around the front of the car and took in the scene as they leaned against the grill.

All that was left of Vange’s Art Gallery was smoldering cinders. The place where they’d first encountered Tracy Pettit was beyond saving and Nikki felt a trace of sadness for the loss of the beautiful artwork that had been inside. There were two fire trucks nearby along with several police cruisers and an ambulance. It was the coroner’s wagon that made Nora wince.

“You think it’s Pettit?” Nikki asked softly. She hooked her thumbs in the jeans Georgia had been so kind to drop off before they’d left. Nikki brushed a piece of lint from the soft, red sweater the other detective had provided. She had the passing thought of wondering if they were Georgia’s clothes or if the other detective had gone shopping for her.

Nikki suspected the latter since she was sporting new undergarments as well. She noted Charlie making his way over, a bagel stuck between his lips and a cup of steaming coffee in his right hand. The food looked less than appealing but she knew she’d offer him a grand for that coffee if she wouldn’t get a nasty look from Nora.

“I think it was supposed to be. Let’s find out.” Nora pushed off the car and started for Charlie. Nikki scrambled after her.

“Morning, ladies,” Charlie called to them as they approached. He put the bagel on the lid of his coffee cup. “Too bad the rain couldn’t put this one out.” He shook his head. “Not that it would have made much difference for the victim.”

“Why is that?” Nora wanted to know.

“She was already dead. Someone bashed her skull in then doused her in accelerant. I’ll know more when I get her back to the morgue.”

“Her?” Nikki asked with growing dread.

“Yep. Definitely female.”

“Damn.” Nora rubbed her forehead wearily. “Show us what you’ve got.”

“You think you know the victim?” Charlie asked as they all turned and started walking toward the coroner’s wagon.

“Tracy Pettit. Delana Archer’s lover. This was the address she gave us. Apparently she had an apartment in back.” Nora stepped around a chunk of melted glass. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of death and destroyed dreams.

Charlie looked at Nikki. “Heard someone torched your place last night as well.”

“Don’t remind me,” Nikki drawled, but she gave Charlie a wink.

“Glad you’re okay.” He gave her a bump with his shoulder, nearly loosing his breakfast as it started to topple off his cup.

Nora caught it then stuck it back in Charlie’s mouth. “We got it from here. Go eat.”

He smiled around his food then turned and walked away.

Nikki and Nora exchanged glances then rolled their eyes in unison.

“I covet his coffee,” Nikki confessed as they drew even with the bagged body resting on the gurney next to the coroner’s wagon. She could already smell the charred flesh and her stomach rolled. “On second thought…”

“Yeah,” Nora agreed, wincing at the unforgettable smell. “This case has not been good for my appetite.”

Nikki snorted then braced herself as she watched Nora slide down the zipper on the body bag. They both stared at what remained of the victim.

“Jesus,” Nikki whispered then turned away, swallowing the sudden bile at the back of her throat.

Nora stared at the body for another moment before zipping it back up and giving the nod that it was okay to load the deceased onto the wagon. She stepped back and gave the two men from the coroner’s office some room.

“It’s not Pettit,” she murmured.

“Madeline Steel,” Nikki agreed. “Too short to be Pettit.” She recalled the tiny art gallery owner, how she’d mistaken her and Nora for a different kind of partners. Bad enough Archer was out to kill her and Pettit, but getting innocents caught in the crossfire made Nikki almost shake with fury.

“Shit,” Nora hissed. “The body count just keeps climbing with this one.”

“That could have been me last night,” Nikki said unexpectedly. “It was supposed to be me.” She didn’t sound upset. She sounded pissed.

Nora watched as the wagon door closed and she shuddered. She didn’t want to think about how close she’d come to losing her partner like that. “We need to find Tracy. Archer is tying up lose ends.”

“And doing a really lousy job at it,” Nikki groused. She turned and went shoulder to shoulder with Nora as the coroner’s wagon pulled away. “And he doesn’t care who he hurts in the process.”

“Who was Steel’s partner?” Nora asked softly.

“Let’s run by and ask Stephanie. I’m sure she would know.” Nikki looked at Nora then tilted her head when Nora looked reluctant. “What?”

“What if she gets on that whole photo shoot thing again?” Nora had liked the dress designer but she felt oddly terrified of her as well.

Nikki shook her head. “She’s going to take one look at our bruises and postpone, I’d imagine.”

The thought seemed to cheer Nora up.

****

Nikki flipped her phone closed as she and Nora stepped up on the curb in front of Stephanie Shriver’s exclusive boutique. “Dan says the uniforms on Pettit lost her last night around three.”

“Explains why they weren’t around when someone was torching her apartment.” Nora yanked on the handle but the door didn’t budge. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly nine. “She’s not open?”

“Probably not until ten,” Nikki murmured. “Try the back. I’m sure she’s here.”

They wandered around and discovered a delivery van dropping off a few boxes of what appeared to be coffee. Both detectives stuck their heads in the open door and took an appreciative sniff.

“I think I just died and went to coffee heaven,” Nora declared.

“Can’t be,” Nikki answered. “No pastries.”

“Nikki!”

The two detectives turned and smiled as Stephanie Shriver came bustling over. She was in a flattering red suit this morning, delicate silver earrings catching the light as she hurried over in sensible red heels. Nikki hugged her as Nora looked on, but Shriver released the first detective only to embrace a startled Nora as well.

“Nora! So good to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Nora murmured as she gave the short woman an awkward pat on the back. She really didn’t get why all these rich people were so touchy feely, kissy-kissy.

“So I heard you caught Delana’s killer. Something about some nasty dock worker named Castillo?” Shriver stepped back and looked at them both. She frowned when she got a good look at them. “What the hell happened to the two of you?”

Nikki shot a glance at Nora and almost kicked her for the inappropriate smirk on her partner’s face. “Taking Castillo down wasn’t exactly easy…”

Nora jerked in surprise when Stephanie abruptly grabbed her chin and drew her face down for closer inspection. She had aunts that would take such liberties with her person but never a relative stranger. She had to suppress the urge to shove the woman away and only just managed when she felt Nikki’s steadying touch on her back.

“Oh dear. Is the rest of you this bruised?” The dress designer asked.

“Um…” Nora leaned away. “Afraid so.”

Stephanie clucked her tongue unhappily. “I guess we won’t be having a photo shoot on Tuesday.”

“Yeah,” Nora said with so much sincerity Nikki would have believed her if she didn’t know better. “Shame.”

“It’s not a problem. We’ll just reschedule for three weeks from Tuesday.” Shriver clapped her hands together and spun on her heel. “Come on, girls. I need coffee.” She hustled off, leaving a speechless Nora in her wake.

Nikki just smiled. “Coffee sounds great,” she said as she followed her friend inside the shop, shooting a coy look over her shoulder at her partner.

Nora screwed up her features before grunting in frustration. With a sigh, she trudged after the departed women, muttering obscenities under her breath.

The detective’s mood improved slightly when she stepped inside the shop and discovered Shriver pouring them all cups of coffee. If it was the Kona from last time then Nora knew she was about to get her first break of the day. She accepted the white mug and took a hesitant sip. It was hot as hell but a welcome jolt to her empty stomach.

“So what brings two of New Orleans’ loveliest by my shop this morning?” Stephanie asked.

“Nothing good, I’m afraid.” Nikki set her cup on the counter. “Vange’s Art Gallery was burned to the ground last night.”

Stephanie blinked. “Tracy? Was she inside?”

“No.” Nikki took a breath. “But we think Madeline Steel was.”

Stephanie’s hand flew to her mouth as she abruptly sank onto a stool.

“You know Steel?” Nora asked.

Stephanie’s eyes were tearing and both detectives knew that was answer enough.

“I’m sorry, Stephanie,” Nikki murmured.

“Dick? Dick did this?” Stephanie demanded.

“We don’t know,” Nora replied.

“You know he did. You just can’t say.” Stephanie’s voice was bitter. “He hired that dock worker, too, didn’t he?”

“No. We don’t believe he did,” Nikki admitted.

“Madeline was such a sweetheart. How could someone kill her? She was an innocent in all of this!”

Nikki glanced at her partner and saw Nora was just as unhappy as she was by this turn of events. She wondered if Nora felt the same sense of failure she did, wondered if she felt like they’d let Steel down by not stopping Archer sooner. She cleared her throat. “Madeline mentioned a partner…”

“Amy Kinley,” Stephanie answered, her voice faint.

“Of the cotton exporter Kinleys?” Nikki asked with a groan.

“The very same,” Shriver replied. “So don’t go through the family to find her.”

“The Kinleys?” Nora asked.

“Very rich. Very…” Nikki searched for the right word.

“Very bitchy,” Stephanie volunteered. “You’re better off going through her photography studio. Actually…” Stephanie sighed. “Amy was going to photograph you next week.”

Nikki glanced in surprise at her partner.

“Small world,” Stephanie murmured.

Nora pinched the bridge of her nose. “So you know Amy well?”

Stephanie nodded then her head shot up. “Would it be…” She looked at Nikki. “I want her to hear from someone she knows…”

Nikki took a deep breath then slowly nodded. “We could drive you over there. We’ll need to talk to her.”

“I understand. I just…”

“You want to be a good friend. It will be easier,” Nora agreed. “Coming from you than us. You can comfort her in a way we can’t.” Her estimation of Shriver rose another notch and Nora grumpily decided that the least she could was pose in a damn dress for the woman for an hour. She finished off the last of her coffee. “We should go. We still need to find Pettit before someone else does.”

****

An hour later, Nikki and Nora slid into the El Camino and sat there, saying nothing for a long, quiet minute. Outside the birds chirped and cars passed them by as people came and went, their lives not on hold because someone had innocently lost theirs.

Nikki swallowed. “That is, without question, the worst part of this job.”

Nora took a deep breath and let it out wearily. She rubbed at her eyes, which felt scratchy with a lack of sleep. “Yeah,” she agreed. “I think we destroyed Amy Kinley’s world this morning.” She looked at Nikki then. “You were good with her, though.”

Nikki looked at her. “Thanks,” she said softly. “I wish there was something more I could do for her. I’m glad Stephanie is going to stay with her for a while.”

“We’ll catch Madeline’s killer. That’s all we can do.”

Nikki nodded then frowned.

“What?” Nora asked.

“It’s just… That sound she made when we told her.”

Nora had to glance out the window when the memory of Amy Kinley’s wail of despair echoed in her memory. She battled back the tears in reaction. “Yeah.”

“I don’t… Have you ever had someone that would care that much if you died?” Nikki wasn’t sure where the question had come from but she was suddenly morose over the knowledge that no one had ever loved her like that.

Nora swiveled her gaze back onto Nikki in surprise. “Your dad…” she began, sensing where Nikki’s question was coming from.

“Not the same,” Nikki cut her off gently.

“I guess it isn’t,” Nora agreed. “And… no. Can’t say that I have.”

They sat in silence for another full minute before Nora started the car and turned it toward the station.


	17. Chapter 17

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Nora and Nikki exchanged looks as Dan slumped in his chair behind his desk.

“You think Delana Archer hired this Castillo guy to kill her as a way to point the finger at her husband?” Dan continued before either of his officers could speak. They both looked tired and wrung out and for some reason that only made him angrier. “When were you going to mention this?”

“Right now?” Nikki offered with an innocent smile.

“This is not a joke,” Dan fired back, hotly. “There was an attempt made on your life last night,” he reminded her. “Another woman didn’t get off as lucky as you. I’ve got Archer’s bodies stack up left and right, and now you tell me the one that started it all wasn’t one of his?”

“It was,” Nora added. “He just…” She shook her head. “He killed her, Dan. He just didn’t pull the trigger, so to speak.”

Dan’s jaw clenched as he slapped a folder onto his desk. “This guy is pissing me off.”

“Welcome to the club,” Nikki drawled. She rubbed her face with her hands, feeling the still healing scabs on her palms where Nora had pushed her down onto the street. They were both bruised and emotionally battered by this damn case, and Nikki wanted nothing more than to close it, to put it behind them and move on.

Dan laced his fingers and put them behind his head before leaning back in his chair. “So what’s next?”

Sleep was what Nora wanted to suggest, but she shifted and eased forward in her chair. “We’ve got everyone we can spare beating the bushes to find Pettit. Archer is flaking. He’s losing it. All of this is a game to him, and he’s not going to stop until he finishes off those he perceives he’s playing with.”

Dan’s gaze shifted to Nikki. “You know he considers you one of those people, right?”

“Him burning down my house was a pretty big clue,” Nikki admitted. She dropped her hands and sighed. When she blinked open her eyes she found Dan and Nora both looking at her. “Sorry. I get a little punchy when I’m this tired.” She saw Nora stifle a smile and couldn’t help a tiny one of her own forming.

“I’m more worried about Pettit at the moment,” Nora admitted. “I think he’ll save Nikki for last.”

“What a comforting thought,” Nikki drawled.

“Not really,” Nora replied readily.

Dan looked from one woman to the other, impressed with the already easy familiarity that seemed to exist between them. “All right,” he sighed. “Get out of here and find Pettit before Archer does. Can this Shriver woman you mentioned help?”

“She’s making some calls,” Nikki told him. “Their paths crossed occasionally, but they don’t typically run in the same circles, though.”

Dan frowned. “What about Progressive House?”

“Huh?” Nikki asked.

Dan shrugged as he brought his hands back down onto the desk. “Have you checked there, yet?”

Nikki and Nora looked at each other again. “It’s an abused women’s shelter,” Nora said as if that explained everything.

“No shit,” Dan replied. “But didn’t she do a lot of fundraising for it? Isn’t it supposed to be like freaking Fort Knox when it comes to keeping out violent husbands and boyfriends?”

Nora wanted to slap herself for the oversight. It was proof that the fatigue and pressures of the case were getting to both of them. There was no guarantee that Tracy Pettit would go to ground there, but there was a good chance someone there might know where she was hiding and could get her a message. “Good point,” she conceded as she got to her feet. “We’ll check it out.”

A few minutes later they slid into the car and sat there for an absorbing moment.

“I can’t believe we forgot…” Nikki started.

“Don’t remind me. Dan’s a good cop, though. That’s why we have these chats, he can see the bigger picture when the rest of us are too tired or too close to a case.”

“And we’re both,” Nikki muttered as her head crashed back against the headrest. “Still. I feel like an idiot.”

“We would have remembered,” Nora consoled her. “We had to check out the family and friends connections first. They made the most sense.”

“Not after talking to all of them. I wouldn’t have gone to my family for help if those homophobes had been my parents.” Nikki stuck her tongue out at the memory of talking to Tracy’s mother and father. They hadn’t seemed terribly worried a serial killer was after their perverted daughter.

“Don’t get me started.” Nora cranked the ignition. “We would have opened up Pettit’s file and seen Progressive House at the top of the list,” she said returning to the original subject as she tried to convince herself she wasn’t the dumb cop she felt like right now.

“True,” Nikki agreed. If they’d ever even gotten back to their desks today. She slipped out her cell phone and checked to see if she’d missed any calls as Nora eased them out of the parking lot and onto the street. It was nearing nightfall at this point, and there was no end to their day in sight.

“Anything from Darius?” Nora asked as Nikki flipped her phone shut. The brunette shook her head. “He’s been oddly quiet today.”

“He must be working some angles,” Nikki answered. “He’ll call if and when he has something he knows is solid.” She looked at Nora, unhappy to see how tired and worn she looked. “When this case is over…”

Nora glanced at her as they stopped at a red light.

“I’m buying you the best damn dinner from Nola’s ever.”

Nora smiled. “You don’t have to keep buying me dinner, Nik.”

“I know. You buy the booze. We’re going to get hammered.”

Nora chuckled for the first time in hours. It felt good and some of the heaviness of her mood lightened. She thought about having dinner and getting drunk with Nikki Beaumont. It almost sounded like a date.

The seasoned detective tried not to think about what might happen between them if they were alone and their inhibitions were impaired. Once the suggestion had taken root in her brain, however, Nora couldn’t seem to think of anything else. “I’ll… uh… put it on my calendar.”

Nikki smiled, wondering if Nora’s thoughts were running parallel to her own. Considering the blush that was rising on Nora’s cheeks, she guessed so.

****

“So tell me about security in this place,” Nora said as Nikki returned from the front office with a passkey. Progressive House was quiet when they arrived, none of the hustle and bustle they’d heard previously.

“It’s impressive,” Nikki admitted as they made their way down the corridor lined with portraits. “Aside from the fact most of these women are trained to kick a man’s ass at this point, there are panic alarms on every floor. Two, in fact. Whole sections of the building can be locked down to keep someone inside if need be. Any of those alarms go off and the police are here in minutes.”

They stepped inside the theater, their footsteps muffled on the carpet.

“Who has access to this place? If Pettit did come here seeking protection, how would she get in? I imagine there are only so many rooms…”

“There are,” Nikki admitted sadly. “And most of the time this place is at capacity. But they would never turn someone away in an emergency. There are safe houses where people can go.” She smiled. “My daddy’s guest house is one of them.”

“You’re shitting me,” Nora blurted as they walked into the gym.

Nikki laughed. “My mother’s wishes, not his,” she admitted.

“I get the feeling your mom had a sense of humor.”

“That she did, sugar.”

The gym was empty except for Cat Sullivan, the self-defense instructor Nora met on their last visit. She was lazily shooting hoops, the basketball sounding unnaturally loud as it impacted the floor with each dribble. Cat turned their way and smiled when her gaze alighted on Nikki.

With one last shot that swished through the net, Cat left her solo game and met them halfway. “Evening, officers,” she said with a grin. “What brings the long arm of the law by here tonight?”

“Looking for Pettit,” Nikki admitted. “Have you seen her?”

Cat’s face grew more solemn. “I heard what happened to that gallery owner.” She shook her head. “And your house, girl! What the hell is up with that?”

Nikki stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “We think someone is tying up loose ends.”

“You mean Archer.” Cat sighed. “Yeah. I saw Tracy.”

“When?” Nora demanded instantly.

“About an hour ago. She was in here shooting hoops, actually.”

“Dan is gonna be insufferable, isn’t he?” Nikki asked her partner.

“Is she staying here?” Nora continued without answering her partner’s question.

“I think so. Probably bunking with one of the other women here for the night,” Cat replied.

“Why in the hell didn’t someone call us?” Nora asked, her voice turning harsh. “Her face is all over the damn news!”

“Nora,” Nikki started as she wrapped her fingers around her partner’s bicep, feeling it flex and expand as Nora’s anger worked its way through her body.

“This is a safe place, Detective Delaney. We protect women from whatever threat they face.”

“We’re not a threat,” Nora retaliated.

“Obviously never had a boy in blue beat on you then hide behind that shiny shield, have you?” Cat said without rancor. “If someone doesn’t want to talk to the cops, we don’t make them.”

“It’s about trust,” Nikki interjected. “They have to trust that this is a safe place, Nora.”

Nora’s teeth gnashed together, but she kept any further arguments to herself. Besides, Cat did have a point. “Fine. Where is Pettit now?”

“I’ll ask around. See if she wants to talk to you,” Cat promised. “You can wait here.”

“Cat,” Nikki let go of Nora to catch the shorter woman’s elbow as she passed. “This may not be a safe place for Tracy. Archer seems to have developed a thing for arson. No amount of locks or panic alarms can stop fire.”

Cat hesitated and looked from one woman to the other. “What are you suggesting?”

“Let us at least beef up patrols, have a few officers here on the inside.”

“I don’t…” Cat started to shake her head.

“Nora and I can take a shift, and we’ll make sure the other officers are all female,” Nikki assured her.

Cat sighed. “Let me run it by a few people. I’m telling you, though, Archer can’t get in here without a passkey and there is no way anyone would give the bastard one.”

“Does Tracy have a passkey?” Nora asked.

Cat nodded. “Yeah. She helps out from time to time, but she’s been fully vetted. I might not agree with everything the woman does, but she does do some good for this place.”

Nikki and Nora watched as Cat left them. Nora licked her lips then jerked her head at the door.

“Why don’t you go with her?”

Nikki hesitated. “I trust Cat, Nora.”

“I know you do. It’s Pettit I don’t trust. You know the place and the women here know you. You’re… non-threatening.” Nora smiled.

“I can be plenty threatening,” Nikki replied with a mock huff of irritation. “But I get your point. What are you gonna do?”

Nora picked up the discarded basketball. She twirled it playfully on her finger. “What?” she asked at Nikki’s look. “Look at these things,” she pointed at one of the goals. “This place is like an arena. I feel like I’m going to shoot hoops with the Hornets.”

Nikki rolled her eyes but made no comment, pivoting on her heel and leaving her partner to her fun and games. Her stomach fluttered when Nora’s sexy chuckle followed her out the door. She’d just stepped into the lobby when she came face to face with the last person she expected to see. “Daddy!”

Arthur Beaumont’s head came up from where he was reading a magazine. He beamed when he saw his daughter. “Nikki!” The councilman got to his feet and embraced her. “What brings you by here? You aren’t staying here…”

“Course not,” Nikki replied. “A lot more women need beds than me. I’ll stay at Nora’s for a few more days until I find a new condo.”

Arthur frowned. “I have that whole house you know. You still have a room.”

Nikki smiled and winked at him. “I know, but this is giving me the golden chance to find out all kinds of stuff about my new partner.”

Arthur regarded her, suspicious of his daughter’s real motives. “Uh-huh,” he drawled unconvinced.

Nikki’s giggle didn’t make him feel any better.

“So what are you doing here?” Nikki asked curiously.

He slipped his checkbook out from inside his jacket pocket. “I’m meeting Megan for dinner.” Nikki recognized the name of Progressive House’s director. “She wants to wine and dine me in order to get one of these slips of paper out of here.” He put the checkbook back. “Why are you here? And where is Detective Delaney? She should be watching you like a hawk.”

“She has been, trust me.” Nikki pointed toward the doors that led back to the gym. “She’s shooting hoops if you want to go say hello.”

A chance to talk to Nora Delaney alone about his daughter seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. He motioned at the door. “You’ll have to buzz me back.”

Nikki did. Her father was a well-known figure at Progressive House and one of the few men allowed limited access to the facility. She watched him walk down the hall and stop before her mother’s picture. He kissed his fingers then pressed them against the acrylic likeness of her mother’s lips before disappearing around the corner.

Tears briefly stung Nikki’s eyes as she let the door close. For an instant, she thought of calling her partner to warn her that her daddy was coming, but with a sly smile she opted not to. Nora was a big girl. She could handle him.

Maybe.

****

Nora glanced up when the door opened. She had expected to see Pettit and her partner returning, but she was so surprised at seeing Arthur Beaumont approaching her she actually missed the ball when she tried to dribble.

“Delaney.”

“Councilman.” Nora caught the basketball and tucked it under her arm. “This is a surprise.”

“A pleasant one, I’m sure,” Arthur replied with a touch of sarcasm.

“Okay. Sure,” Nora answered in kind.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“I just saw my daughter in the lobby. She says she is staying with you for a few more days.”

That was news to Nora, but the information wasn’t exactly unwelcome. “Is that a problem?”

“Is it?”

“Mr. Beaumont,” Nora spoke deliberately. “You know I’m not much for games so why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Are you sleeping with my daughter?”

Nora sucked in a breath as an image flashed through her memory, an image of her wrapped around Nikki’s body, holding her tight to keep the nightmares away. “That’s… none of your business,” she surprised herself with her own answer.

“Excuse me. My daughter is most certainly my business.”

There was a beeping sound behind her, and Nora held up her hand. “Did you hear that?” she cut him off.

“Hear what?”

“It sounded like one of the passkey locks.”

“It probably was. There is door in the back of the gym, behind the lockers.”

Nora hesitated for another moment then returned her focus to him. “Nikki is a grown woman, Mr. Beaumont. She can make her own decisions.”

“So should I take that as a yes?” His eyes narrowed.

Nora shook her head. “I think you should talk to Nikki, but for what it’s worth, I don’t fall into bed with the people I work with. ”

Arthur almost believed her. He started to argue his point when an odd smell caught his attention. “What is that?”

Nora completely turned around and faced the lockers. No one had emerged, but she’d just assumed they were changing. She took a breath and felt her heart jerk. “Gasoline.”

****

Nikki didn’t have to go far to find Tracy. Pettit was scurrying down the steps toward her, no doubt hoping to get away free and clear. She pulled up when she saw Nikki.

“Tracy, just chill. I only want to talk…” Nikki cursed when Pettit pivoted and bolted back the way she came. The detective sprang into motion after her; glad for the tennis shoes she was wearing instead of her usual high heels.

Pettit disappeared through the door on the fourth floor and Nikki followed, ducking just as she exited when something came at her out of the corner of her vision. A vase whipped past and struck the wall, shattering with a bang and bringing women out of their rooms to see what the commotion was about.

“Tracy!” Nikki charged down the hall after her. “We just want to help!”

Pettit entered another stairwell and started down again. She came to an abrupt halt on the second floor and Nikki nearly crashed into her. Neither of them could believe what they were seeing.

“Back!” Nikki ordered. “Back! Hit the panic alarm and clear the damn building!” She grabbed Pettit by the collar and bodily swung the woman around and back up the stairs. There was no way they could go down.

Everything below them was on fire.

****

Nora jerked when an alarm sounded. Her left hand immediately went to her weapon, drawing it out of the holster with a whisper of metal against leather. She pointed it toward the lockers.

“New Orleans police officer,” she announced, feeling Arthur Beaumont wisely start to move behind her. “I know you’re back there. Come out with your hands up.”

There was a moment when there was no sound but the blare of the alarm pulsing through the building. Nora took another hesitant step as her finger tightened on the trigger.

Something soared out from behind the lockers and Nora jumped back. A red plastic gas can slid across the floor, fuel spilling from its uncapped opening and spreading the pungent liquid everywhere.

“Oh shit,” Nora whispered. She watched as fire leapt up from behind the lockers and she suddenly realized she was hearing the fire alarm and not the panic alarm. “Oh shit,” she said again with more volume. “Beaumont, get out of here!”

Richard Archer stepped out from behind the lockers. In one hand was a passkey; in the other was a 9mm automatic, which he pointed at Arthur Beaumont. He chuckled. “Well isn’t this something,” he announced. “I’d prefer your daughter were here, old man,” he said to Arthur. “But you two will do.”

Nora kept him in her sights, fighting the urge to look at the growing fire behind him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw more flames and realized Archer had already set more fires in other parts of the building. “Richard Archer, you are under arrest for murder and arson. You have the right to remain silent…”

“You’re reading me my rights?” Archer laughed. “You’re not taking me to jail, Detective. I’m going to hell. And I’m going to take you with me.”

****

Nikki could hear the sirens closing in as she did her damndest to direct the flow of bodies from the building. Around her, women were sobbing, others were cursing, but all were nearly frantic to escape the smoke that was starting to billow in from the stairwell and second floor.

Her eyes went worriedly to the door that led back to the theater and gym. There was no sign of Nora or her father. She hoped Nora had immediately gotten her daddy out of the building, that her partner was on the other side helping the women from the building and waiting to meet the emergency personnel when they arrived. But something in her gut told her that Nora was still in the gym.

Everyone screamed and ducked as one of the doors on the second floor was blown off its hinges and fire came roaring out, flickers of red and orange reaching out for more oxygen to fuel the flames. Nikki withdrew her weapon and stepped back, watching as the women made their way to safety. With a final glance, she decided she had done all she could. She turned and bolted for the theater.

****

Nora licked her lips. There was no way she could take him down before he shot Nikki’s father. She had to keep him talking until an opportunity presented itself. “How’d you get in, Dick? Security is pretty tight around here.”

He waggled the keycard at her. “Pettit,” he snarled. “She was fucking my wife, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and promising her there was a safe place, a place where I couldn’t get to her.”

Nora added two and two. “So Tracy gave her a passkey to Progressive House, hoping she would use it.”

Archer smiled. “How ironic, huh?”

Nora wanted to shoot him. She flinched when something groaned overhead. Sweat was breaking out all over her body as the room heated from the fire raging from the back and above.

“You know what I find interesting?” Nora asked as she eased slowly in Arthur’s direction, trying to insinuate herself into Archer’s line of fire. “That Delana beat you in the end.”

Archer’s smiled faded. “That bitch didn’t beat anyone.”

“Surely you’ve figured it out,” Nora taunted as she took another step. “How she hired your man to kill her. She got away from you and made sure your other crimes were exposed. Seems to me she wins.”

The gun shook in his hand as his rage started to get the better of him. “No one beats me!” he declared.

Another step. “You’re giving up right now,” Nora told him. “Committing suicide instead of getting away.”

“I’m taking all my enemies with me.”

“All but one,” Nora replied. “Where is Nikki Beaumont?” Nora knew where she wanted her partner to be. She prayed Nikki was outside with hopefully everyone else. The fire was spreading and the smoke was getting thicker by the moment. Maybe she would be able to use it to her advantage, Nora decided.

“She’s here. I know she’s here,” Archer shot back. “Her fucking father is.”

Now Nora was in front of Beaumont and Archer hadn’t even noticed. His wrath was pointed solely at her now. “I bet she’s outside with Pettit, helping the fire department.”

Archer shook his head just as another loud groan came from above. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Detective. She wouldn’t leave you. She wouldn’t leave him.”

Nora knew he was right, and the knowledge was both sweet and terrifying. She took a breath and prepared to feel the impact of a bullet. She had to take down Archer now before Nikki walked unawares through the door.

A hideous tearing sound made them all look up. Nora pivoted when she saw metal and Plexiglas hurtling at her as one of the basketball goals was ripped from the ceiling. She slammed into Arthur, shoving him out of the way as best she was able.

Then the world came down on top of her. Nora felt agony flare through her right arm a moment before something struck her in the head and drove her without mercy into the wood floor.

Archer laughed when it was over, ignoring the new blanket of flames that had opened up overhead and was now crawling down the wall toward them. The smoke increased in intensity, nearly obscuring his view. He walked toward Nora and Beaumont, his gun pointed at the detective’s head. She wasn’t moving. He wasn’t even sure she was breathing.

The gun lifted and pointed at Arthur who was struggling under the weight of the goal’s large, metal supports. “This is for the charity ball, old man.”

“Police officer!”

Archer spun toward the door, seeing a figure emerge through swirling smoke. His finger tightened on the trigger and a smile bloomed on his face when he saw Nikki Beaumont.

His joy was short lived as her first shot struck him in the shoulder. Her second punched straight through his heart. He was dead before he hit the ground, disappearing into the thick smoke as it crawled across the floor.

Tendrils of grey curled and undulated around her. Nikki couldn’t see the fire but she could feel it, hear it, the heat wafting against her face and arms as she stumbled in the direction she’d last seen her father and Nora.

She heard something crack and give way, feeling the impact of something heavy on the gym floor through the soles of her feet.

“Daddy! Nora!”

There was no answer, only the hiss and crackle of the angry fire as it consumed everything in its path with hungry intent.

Finally a shout to her right made Nikki turn, and she willed her eyes to see through the gray thickness around her. “Daddy?”

“Nikki!”

Nikki staggered toward his voice, her shins banging into one of the team benches. She saw stars and bit down hard on her bottom lip, but she didn’t stop moving. Finally the smoke parted just enough for her to see him.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. One of the basketball goals had been wrenched from the ceiling. The metal framework had her father pinned against the wall, but he was moving feebly. She could hear him coughing as she rushed to his side.

Together they were able to shove the metal aside but only barely. Nikki looked up, seeing fire for the first time as it ignited a section of old bleachers. They wouldn’t have much time and the smoke was already filling her lungs, making it hard to breathe… to think.

Arthur staggered to his feet.

“Where’s Nora?” Nikki shouted as her brown eyes frantically sought out the familiar form of her partner. Before her father could answer, Nikki saw her. Nora was face down, wedged under a corner of the backboard of the basketball goal. She was too still, some faint part of Nikki’s brain acknowledged, but her heart wasn’t ready to handle what that meant.

“Nora!” Nikki scrambled to her side and dropped to her knees. The air was a little more breathable, but not by much. There was blood on the side of Nora’s face, even more pooling under Nora’s cheek where it rested on the wood floor. Nikki’s hand stroked through thick blonde hair, and her soul nearly came undone when there was no reaction.

“Nikki!” Her father shouted. “We have to go! The firemen will have to get her out!”

Nikki braced herself on the floor and started pushing with all her might, but the backboard wouldn’t budge.

“Nikki!”

“Get help!” Nikki coughed at her father, unwilling to abandon Nora. She met her father’s eyes through the smoke and heard him curse when he saw her conviction. She felt relief when he disappeared into the smoke.

“Nora? Honey, come on,” Nikki pleaded. “Wake up and help me damn it!”

But Nora didn’t move. Nikki yelled as she threw her weight against the backboard. She knew she could cause her partner even more harm, but there was no time for finesse. The smoke was getting thicker, and if it didn’t kill them the fire soon would.

Something else gave way close by. Nikki felt the ground shake, and she guessed it had to be the section of bleachers. She could feel the fire beating at her back now licking its way toward them. Water began to drip onto her face and hands, and she realized the fire department was there, hosing down the second floor.

Nikki pushed again, crying out her partner’s name as sounds began to echo weirdly around her. She couldn’t seem to draw in air and what little she did she felt like she was choking on it.

A section of the ceiling collapsed behind them, and Nikki jumped when it impacted the metal beams that had held the backboard up. The weight was enough that it acted like a seesaw, hefting the goal and giving Nikki just enough clearance to grab her partner by the shirt and drag her out.

She rolled Nora over and clutched her face between her palms. “Nora? Nora, come on. Answer me!”

Her partner didn’t stir.

Nikki felt for a pulse and couldn’t find one. There was no time for compressions, no time to worry about whether Nora’s heart was beating. Nikki began dragging her, hoping she was headed in the right direction.

Bright lights began to dance in her vision, and she stumbled, tripping over something and crashing to the floor. The fire was roaring now, and it seemed to be everywhere. Nikki realized she was out of time. She crawled to Nora’s side and looked down into her features, wishing she could have had one last glimpse of those green eyes. She laid her head down on Nora’s chest and closed her eyes, fear making her whole body tremble.

She prayed the smoke would claim them before the fire did.

****

A frantic voice calling her name pulled her up from the darkness. Rain was hitting her features, and Nikki became aware of the scent of plastic and smoke as her eyes blinked open. There was an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, and she tried to reach up to remove it but hands caught hers and held on.

“Thank God,” Arthur murmured when his daughter’s dark gaze landed on his. “Hey there, honey.”

Nikki swallowed, feeling like she’d eaten a hot poker. She struggled to free her hands. “Nora?” she pleaded, her voice muffled by her mask.

“They’re working on her,” Arthur promised. His eyes went to the ambulance where a paramedic was trying to save the other detective’s life.

Nikki staggered off the gurney, earning a shout from her own startled paramedic. Arthur swore at his headstrong daughter as she freed her hands from his and ripped off the oxygen mask. She was surprised her legs were strong enough to carry her to Nora, but Nikki was prepared to crawl if she had to.

The paramedic did a double take when he saw her coming, and Nikki could only imagine the sight she presented. He hesitated.

“You her partner?”

Nikki nodded.

So did the paramedic. He moved, making room for Nikki at the head of the gurney. She scampered into the back of the rig only to finally feel her legs give way, taking her to her knees when she saw Nora’s face.

Her partner’s eyes were open.

Nikki laughed in simple relief, clutching Nora’s left hand as it reached out for her. “Hey there.”

The oxygen mask on Nora’s face kept her from talking, but she looked at Nikki with bloodshot eyes. It was clear Nora was not amused by what she saw.

“You think I look bad,” Nikki teased as her hand tangled in Nora’s hair. It was so soft and felt so good as it slipped through her fingers. “You should see yourself, sugar.”

Nora’s smile was visible even through the mask.

Nikki looked at the paramedic.

“Broken right arm, concussion, smoke inhalation, maybe some additional damage to her right shoulder… that’s just for starters. Who knows what the x-rays will turn up?” He knew better than to try to keep another cop out of his rig. It just went easier for all involved this way as long as it didn’t put his patient at risk.

Nikki nodded. Her stomach lurched at the list of injuries but at least they were things that would heal. She turned her focus back on Nora as her partner’s hand slipped out of hers. Nora grabbed her mask and pulled it down.

“Archer?” Nora asked in a rough voice that made Nikki wince to hear.

Nikki shook her head, not wanting to think about what had happened after the shooting. Had she killed him or had he died burning in the fire? The coroner’s report would tell her soon enough. She swallowed as she reached up and deliberately put the mask back over her partner’s features. She allowed them both one tiny indiscretion, letting the backs of her knuckles skim down the side of Nora’s face.

Nora watched her in silence, but she turned her face into the caress, savoring the softness of Nikki’s touch.

“It’s over,” Nikki promised her.

****

When Nora came to again it was in the hospital and a whole day had slipped away while she’d slept. She blinked open her eyes and groaned faintly at how much everything hurt.

Someone stood up from a chair and moved closer. Nora’s eyes slipped shut as a welcome touch eased through her hair.

“Hey there,” Nikki’s voice came to the hurting detective, and she smiled in reaction.

“Mmm.” Nora swallowed, wincing at her abused throat.

“Open wide,” Nikki instructed.

Nora obeyed without question and was rewarded with a plastic spoonful of the best damn ice chips she’d ever sucked on. She grinned. “Thanks.”

“Happy to be of assistance,” Nikki teased.

Nora opened her eyes again, needing to see her partner. Nikki looked tired but whole, only a few scratches marring her otherwise flawless skin. “What have I missed?” she croaked, her voice still hoarse from inhaling an unhealthy amount of smoke.

“Well…” Nikki leaned her elbows on the bedrail. “Let’s see… The press is all over the Archer story and has been driving Dan absolutely nuts. All the women in Progressive House have been moved to safe houses…”

“Are they all okay?” Nora asked. She grinned as Nikki offered her more ice and she took the spoonful gratefully.

“Everyone is fine but Archer,” Nikki informed her. She took a breath. “Feels weird.”

Nora tilted her head; worried about the barely veiled sorrow she could feel emanating from her partner. “You did what you had to do.”

“And I’d do it again,” Nikki agreed. “It wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it.” She sighed. “I’ve just never…” She jumped a little when Nora’s left hand covered one of her own where it rested on the bedrail. The living heat of her felt so damn good it almost brought tears to her eyes. She had to clear her throat. “I wanted him to go to jail. That would have been the best revenge for Delana, for her to know he was rotting in there.”

“I know.” Nora didn’t realize she was stroking Nikki’s knuckles with her thumb, but she was coherent enough to know she liked the way Nikki’s skin felt. “But she did get justice. Her voice was finally heard.”

“Too bad no one heard it before it all came to this.”

Nora nodded, her eyelids growing heavy again. She blinked then jerked herself awake.

Nikki slowly smiled. “It’s okay, sleeping beauty. You don’t have to stay awake.”

“I’m okay,” Nora boasted. “When are they letting me out of here?”

“Not for a few more days. You got a really good lump on the back of your head, partner, and suffered some smoke inhalation.”

“That why it feels like I’ve been snorting fire through my nose?”

“Eyah.” Nikki’s nose wrinkled in sympathy. “I didn’t get nearly the dose you did, but I feel like I smoked about ten packs in there.”

“You probably did,” Nora sighed. “How’s Dan?”

“He’s actually been hovering quite a bit,” Nikki answered. “I’m surprised you managed to wake up one of the few times he hasn’t been here.”

“Just lucky, I guess.” Nora was rewarded with one of Nikki’s full on grins. “Rather wake up to you anyway,” she confessed as her eyes slipped shut again.

Nikki’s breath caught, and she wondered if her partner had any idea how that could be interpreted. “Is that right?”

“Mmhmm.” Nora’s eyes stayed closed, and her head began a slow cant to the side.

Nikki watched as Nora slid back into sleep. She stared at her for a few minutes, a part of her wishing she could crawl up in the bed next to Nora and hold her. It had been hard; sharing the small room with Dan as he’d worried over Nora like a lover instead of a boss. Nikki had been jealous, and the emotion had only gotten worse when she’d seen how Nora’s mother and stepfather treated the captain.

“It’s a wonder they haven’t already bought the wedding invitations,” Nikki grumbled. She looked down when she felt Nora’s hand tighten its hold over her own. Even in sleep, Nora was finding ways to reassure her. Nikki put her chin down on the bedrail and simply watched her. It was the way Dan found her when he returned an hour later.

****

“So how you doing?” Darius asked over lunch the next day. He nibbled on a fry and watched as Nikki considered the question.

She shrugged. “Nora gets out of the hospital day after tomorrow. She’s back for limited desk duty next week. I’m good.”

Sweeny’s was mostly quiet, the lunch crowd having thinned hours ago. Darius put his elbow on the table and his chin on his fist. “Glad to hear it, but how are you doing?” He pointed a fry at her for emphasis.

“It helps,” Nikki confessed after a moment. “Sleeping in her bed.”

Darius said nothing,

“I wake up from the nightmares of this case and I can smell her, all around me. I remember that she’s still alive.”

He took a deep breath. “Girl…”

“I know,” Nikki cut him off. “I’m…” Nikki took an unsteady breath. “I’m getting a thing for my partner.”

Darius swallowed another fry. “You’re in trouble. You know that right?”

Nikki sighed. “I was ready to die in there with her Darius.”

Darius blinked not having realized the extent to which Nikki was already attached.

Nikki closed her eyes and groaned. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it. How am I supposed to keep working next to her when…”

“When you want to kiss her so bad it hurts?” He said with a tiny grin.

“It does! I swear it hurts not to kiss her sometimes.” She shoveled a forkful of pecan pie into her mouth and wished Syd would have brought her a bigger piece.

“Then you should kiss her.”

It took Nikki a moment to process the suggestion. “What?”

“You want to stay her partner?”

“You know I do,” Nikki answered instantly.

“What happens when you ignore an itch, Nikki?”

She straightened in the booth before licking her lips. “It gets worse.”

“It gets worse,” Darius agreed sagely before biting into another fry.

Nikki thought about that as they finished their lunch in unusual silence.

****

“You will do anything to get out of my photo shoot, I declare.”

Nora glanced up sharply from her hospital bed. She’d been staring dazedly at a magazine, her pain meds making it hard to focus on anything for long. She blinked when she saw Stephanie Shriver in the doorway. “Huh?”

“Goodness, they do have you on the good stuff at least.” Stephanie moved into the room with a tasteful bouquet of flowers, which she set on the window ledge next to many more. She stopped next to Nora’s bed and waited for the medicated detective to look at her. “How are you?”

Nora swallowed. It had been three days, but her throat still burned like a mother. So did the inside of her nose and her lungs weren’t much happy, either. She knew she’d gotten off lucky, though, with only superficial damage. “I’m… okay.” She shook her head a little. “Sorry. These drugs make me a little…”

“It’s quite all right, dear.” Stephanie fussed with Nora’s blanket, and her actions got a slow smile out of the detective. “I just wanted to come by and see how you’re doing… and to tell you I will keep postponing my shoot until you’re fit to photograph.”

Nora opened her mouth to respond only to close it. “Fine,” she eventually grumbled.

Stephanie put her hands on the bedrail and leaned in. “Come on, Detective Delaney. You can’t tell me you aren’t curious to see Nikki in that dress.”

Her reaction time was delayed but not by much. Nora’s green eyes widened fractionally. “I…” She shook her head again, wincing a little as her right arm protested.

“Relax,” Stephanie told her. “I’m not going to interrogate you on the way you look at the lovely Nikki Beaumont while you’re under medication.”

Nora wondered what excuse she could use to hit the panic button and have the nurse come running. “I would… appreciate that,” Nora confessed as if she were playing along. She shifted and winced again. “So what’s the decision on Progressive House? They gonna rebuild?” She’d seen the news reports, had been floored at the devastation.

Stephanie smiled at the change in topics, but she went with it. “The board decided this morning that we would go with a new location and a new building. Bigger and better than the last.”

Nora smiled. “Good. It would be a shame for it to close. It does a lot of good.”

“It does indeed,” Stephanie agreed.

“I’m just glad no one died.”

“Except Archer,” Stephanie murmured. “And that was no loss there.” She fidgeted with the edge of Nora’s sheet. “Actually, that’s why I came by, other than to see how you’re doing, of course.”

Nora waited expectantly.

“It’s about Arthur.”

The detective’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Beaumont?”

Stephanie’s lips twitched. “Yes. He… he is having a fundraiser next week for the rebuilding efforts.”

“Ok.” Nora was still baffled.

“He wanted me to ask you to come.”

Nora could only blink stupidly. “Uh…. I…”

“It’s just a little garden party. Nothing fancy.”

“Well that’s… um….” Nora starting thinking about the panic button again. “I don’t think I would really fit in…”

“Dear,” Stephanie said with a smile. “You would be a breath of fresh air.”

“Why didn’t he just invite me himself?” Nora asked.

“The man has his pride. I know you two haven’t always seen eye to eye.”

“That’s an understatement,” Nora said slowly. She wondered why Shriver had discussed her with Beaumont. Nora sure as hell hoped Shriver wasn’t sharing any of her suspicions about the way Nora apparently looked at Nikki. Or vice-versa.

“But he knows he owes you his life. Let him repay that.”

“By going to his garden party?” Nora said with some amusement. “That seems more like punishment.”

Shriver chuckled. “By allowing him to accept you into Nikki’s inner circle, dear.”

Something about that notion made Nora’s heartbeat skip. “Nikki is her own woman…”

“She is most certainly that, but she comes from an old family and even older money, Nora. Play along. You’ll be glad at some point you did.”

Nora considered the request. “What time and what do I wear?”

“Next Friday at 7 and whatever you like.”

****

Nikki sighed.

Her father’s soiree was in full swing around her. New Orleans privileged and self-important mingled about the gardens sipping champagne and noshing on canapés. Nikki sat alone on a stone bench near the fountain, which served as the focal point for the whole garden. She raked a hand through her loose hair, its normally wild locks tamed tonight in soft curls.

She hated these damn parties. She was good at them. Good at the socializing. Phenomenal at making an impression. But she hated the falseness of it. The calculating and conniving that went on behind those insincere smiles. Most of all she hated the lame pickup attempts. And there were a lot of them.

Usually it was some noteworthy so-and-so’s son. Sometimes it was even the daughter. Tonight one of them had been the wife.

Nikki shook her head and sipped her whiskey and soda. She slipped out her cell phone and regarded it for a moment. The desire to call Nora, to see how she was doing, came on so strong it nearly made her hand shake. They had seen each other most of the week, of course, but Nikki had moved out before Nora had returned home, and their days had been about work and cleaning up after the Archer mess. She missed having dinner with Nora. Missed sitting across from her and talking about something other than murder.

“You trying to make it ring?”

Nikki jumped as the sound of the voice she most wanted to hear drifted lazily over her right shoulder. She turned and looked up, stunned to see her partner standing there in a white short sleeve button down shirt and pressed khakis. Nora looked like she belonged with the upper class of New Orleans society milling around her, until she smiled. There was something very dirty and dangerous about that grin.

“What?” Nikki finally said.

Nora inclined her head toward the phone. “You were staring at that thing so hard you looked like you were trying to conjure up a police emergency.” She sat next to Nikki as her gaze took in her partner’s electric blue sleeveless blouse and white pants. She was also wearing white sandals that showed off her adorable little painted toes.

“Actually, I was thinking about calling you,” Nikki admitted. She took a breath, smelling a delectable perfume that could only be coming from the woman next to her.

“Well here I am.” Nora grinned and took a sip of the champagne she was holding. “You know I’ve never had champagne at a barbecue before. This must be how the other half lives.”

Nikki greedily took her partner in. She had never seen Nora put herself together quite so well, even the cast Nora sported on her right arm looked classy. “You look good.”

“Aside from some pretty spectacular bruises, I feel good.” Nora tipped the champagne glass in Nikki’s direction. “A few more of these and I’ll be feeling great.”

“Um… does my father know you’re here?”

“He invited me.” Nora hid her grin at her partner’s shocked expression as she turned to a passing waiter and grabbed another two flutes of champagne. She handed one to Nikki. “Drink up. This is some pricey stuff.”

“My father. Invited you.”

“Those are the essentials, yes.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, actually he invited me through Stephanie.”

“Ah. That sounds a little more like daddy.” Nikki sipped her champagne and regarded Nora with interest. “I’m surprised you would come. This isn’t really your… thing.”

Nora turned her gaze on the fountain, watching the multi-hued Koi that swam around inside it. She shrugged. “You’re here.”

Nikki almost choked on her champagne. She blushed and offered her partner a charming smile. “Want a tour?”

Nora glanced around the expansive garden. “Should we leave bread crumbs?”

Feeling brave, Nikki slipped her arm through her partner’s. “I know these gardens like the back of my hand. I played hide and seek in here as a kid.”

They began to stroll side-by-side, earning some appreciative looks as they passed.

“What a striking pair they make,” Stephanie said as she watched them wandering away from the crowd. She could see Nikki and Nora well from her position on the porch.

Arthur followed her line of sight only to make a growling sound in the back of his throat.

“She saved your life, Arthur,” Stephanie reminded him.

Arthur sighed. “I invited her, didn’t I?”

The designer chuckled. “Something tells me you’ll be seeing Detective Delaney at a lot more garden socials.”

Arthur watched his daughter with Nora and found it was a little hard to be upset when his daughter looked so damn happy.

Nikki pulled Nora behind some hedges and the crowd seemed to vanish. “Ugh. Relief.”

Nora smiled. “You are such a fraud.”

Nikki giggled. “You got that right.”

They studied each other in the fading sunlight as the cicadas chirped around them. It was a warm and humid evening, the threat of rain gathering in intensity on the horizon.

“Come on,” Nikki invited, taking Nora’s left hand and leading her further into the gardens and away from the party. “I want to show you something.”

They walked in companionable silence, each very aware that they were holding hands. Nikki finally led Nora around a corner and was delighted when she heard Nora’s breath catch.

Gas lamps flickered, lighting the small reflective pool in rippling strands of gold. Nora could see the bright orange and white fish swimming beneath the surface as Nikki led her to an intricately designed cast iron bench. Flowers were everywhere, making the air a delight to breathe.

“It’s beautiful,” Nora spoke, feeling the need to keep her voice down. She looked up at the overhanging trees, feeling as if nature had just wrapped them both up in a fragrant cocoon.

“My mother loved this spot,” Nikki told her.

“I can see why. It’s peaceful.”

Nora settled against the bench and took another deep breath. This close to her partner, she could smell Nikki’s perfume as well. She turned her head and looked at her partner’s profile, entranced as the lamplight flickered invitingly over Nikki’s features.

Feeling Nora’s eyes on her, Nikki smiled before casting a sideways glance in her direction. “Much better than the party.”

“Much,” Nora agreed, her voice slightly huskier than normal.

Nikki shook her head and had to look away.

“What?” Nora asked.

“You just…” Nikki tilted her head and looked at her again. “You look at me… the way you are right now…”

Nora took a breath.

“And I can’t believe you’ve never been with a woman,” Nikki finished with a wink.

“Am I looking at you a certain way, Detective?” Nora asked, knowing full well her appreciation had to have been showing in her eyes.

Nikki narrowed her eyes and Nora laughed.

“I swear,” Nora promised. “I have never been with a woman.”

“Never?” Nikki teased. “Not even kissed one?”

Nora licked her lips. “Not even that.”

A plan occurred to Nikki, and she wondered if she could lead Nora into it. It had to do with itches and scratching… She put her elbow on the back of the bench and put her head on her fist. “Well isn’t that a shame.”

“Why?” Nora asked with some amusement. “It’s not like I’ve never been kissed.”

“But you’ve never been kissed by a woman.”

“There is a difference?”

Nikki rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on,” Nora chided. “A kiss is a kiss. I don’t see how it would be any different,” Nora replied as she watched Nikki watching her. The light from the lamppost reflected off the softly churning water, bathing Nikki’s face in interesting streaks of rippling gold and shadow.

Nikki leaned a little closer. The scent of Nora’s perfume reached her and she took it in, smelling the hint of rain on the horizon as well. In the distance thunder grumbled and lightening flashed, but there was still time to savor the moment they were in. Still time before the storm was on them. “Spoken like someone who has never kissed another woman.”

Nora tilted her head and looked at her partner dubiously. “I’ve kissed my mother.”

“You kiss your boyfriends like you kiss your mother?” Nikki teased. “No wonder you’re single.”

Was Nikki offering what she thought she was offering, Nora wondered. “Ha,” she answered. Her gaze kept straying to her partner’s full lips. Nora wished she’d skipped that last glass of champagne. It was making her contemplate things she normally kept buried in the back of her mind.

“That the best answer you have? Ha?” Nikki’s voice had dropped an octave to sound throatier, more sinful. Her partner’s face was no more than two inches away, but she wouldn’t make the first move. No matter how much she wanted to. “You really, really don’t know what you’re missing.”

Nora felt her breathing grow even shallower as she came to a decision. “Then show me,” she dared.

Nikki swallowed hard, and she knew Nora heard her by the wicked gleam that sparked in her partner’s eyes. But there was no way she would turn down an invitation like that. Especially one that Nora suspected Nikki wouldn’t follow through on. She stared deeply into those vivid green eyes, which were rapidly losing their mirth. With deliberate intent, Nikki eased forward, letting her fingers curl around the back of Nora’s neck, urging her closer until the were nose to nose.

“You want to try something, Detective?” Nikki taunted.

She’d had too much to drink, Nora decided. Or maybe not enough. Before she could think anymore, Nora dipped her head and brushed those full, waiting lips with her own. That’s all she meant it to be. A brief touch. But the softness of the kiss shocked her, sending ripples of heat and arousal licking through her veins.

Sensing victory, Nikki pressed closer, her other hand sliding into Nora’s hair. She tasted so good. Like champagne and something infinitely more intoxicating. Nikki sank into the moment and into her partner, all thought extinguished by the warmth and flavor of Nora’s mouth.

Nora’s hands threaded through dark hair as the kiss deepened, dragging her down, drowning her in sensation. Jesus it was different. Different and good.

They slowly parted, both of them breathless. Their gazes met and held.

“That…. was a very bad idea,” Nora managed to gasp out.

Nikki slowly nodded. “I guess that makes this even worse.” She pulled Nora into her again, kissing her thoroughly. This might be her only chance to ease some of the longing, the craving Nora stirred in her, and Nikki was damn sure she wasn’t going to waste it. And Nora didn’t seem to be minding.

They both knew there would be repercussions. They both knew tomorrow they would have to pretend like this never happened.

But they would take this one moment tonight for themselves and hope it would be enough.

The End (for now)


End file.
